BEEN A MINUTE SINCE YOUR LAST WORK HEADSHOT?!
Well luckily cloths haven't changed as much as the world has in the past few years! Though there are a few things that I'm going to note here as a change. Since the lovely pandemic I feel like the pressure to be a hyper-polished looking professional is no longer. I remember back in 2019 I was even starting to relax my "business attire" from the button up and blazer to a plain black shirt and blazer with jeans. Having been on zoom after zoom in 2020 wearing sweatpants, I found myself wondering (as did many others) why I ever even wore slacks in the first place with starchy shirts.
KEEP IT COMFY AND CLEAN
I wear jeans every day now! There is no need to come into the studio wearing a full suit and tie unless you're into that. Joking aside if you are heading to a meeting after and that's what you want to wear, more power to you. Just remember, headshots are from the waist up.
Try to avoid really busy patterns, and things that overwhelm your eyeballs. Solid colors, or blocks of colors that you can count on one hand are your friend. You don't want to wear something that is super all over the place and bright. Also patterns freak out digital cameras. So lots of small checkers or lines make the digital sensor have a complete conniption fit. I can always use film, but it just kind of limits what I can work with.
STAY AWAY FROM TRENDS
You want your headshot to be relevant for a decent while. So for that reason, stick to looks and styles that are a bit on the classic side. Does that mean be boring? NO! It means if tomorrow someone on TikTok starts a trend where half a shirt is all you need, chances are it's going to be short lived. Side note, I'd LOVE to see that in Boston!! Even summer isn't warm enough for that.
If you want to be trendy, that's fine, just remember trends change more than (most) college kids change underwear. You can ride the wave, but when it breaks, you're just going to have to do this all over again. Which means you pay me again. I'm not against it, just looking out for you!
A FEW EXAMPLES
CLEAN CASUAL
OK PATTERNS
COLORFUL
MONOCROME
COLORS, BUT WHICH ARE OK?
If you're a color lover, try to stick to colors that exist in your natural habitat. Blues, Greens, Yellows, Oranges, and sometimes Red. You want to choose colors that are familiar to everyone's day to day life. Reason being is that subconsciously we're all accustomed to these colors in real life thanks to the Sun, the Sky, Grass, Sunsets, and other things. Reds however can be alarming / triggering in a bad way. Usually red means danger, or stay away. Yes, red can be a sexy color too, but it really is in the setting and application. For a Headshot or Personal Branding image, I feel red isn't the best as a main color. Pops of red though, not a bad idea.
