How do you decide what to wear for your professional head shot? This is a question that I get ALL the time. I usually answer it with another question or two…
First, what do you do and who is your market?
Professional business head shots are first and foremost to sell your services to the customer. You want to appear confident, approachable, professional and trustworthy. That said, achieving that will look different for different markets. If you are an artist or author or stylist, you will have a different look than a financial advisor or lawyer.
So first tell me what you do and then tell me who your market is. If your business clientele consists mostly of conservative 50 to 70 year olds you will dress differently than if you cater to 20 to 30 year olds.
What colors look great on you?
What to wear for your professional head shot may be dictated by corporate guidelines. Some companies want you to stay within their branded logo colors. In other words, it may be a black suit, white shirt and red tie. Please do check with the marketing people or your boss and take a look at the current company website. You will want to coordinate with the images of associates that you see there.
If there are no corporate guidelines that you need to follow regarding colors or style, you will want to wear something that you feel comfortable in and that makes you shine for your professional head shot. Stick to solid colors and pay attention to the neckline. Most headshots will be realistically from the shoulders up. Stay with a clean look near the neckline.
Jewelry, yes or no?
If you wear jewelry often, then of course wear it for your headshot session. Be aware that you will perhaps be using this image for several years and try to stay away from trendy items so as to not date your headshot image too soon.
Really, do consider your market. First impressions count.
Consider this example. Joe came in about a year ago and had his first professional headshot done for his new job as a realtor. I praised him on his bold use of color and style. The look fit his personality and it was definitely professional.
But it did not connect with his target conservative market.
Interestingly, he came in a little while ago and changed everything up. Even though this new image is not really his personal style, he recognized that his clientele were more conservative and he needed a new look just for them.
He looks good in both, but most importantly, they are quite different for different markets. He knew he needed to change his online image to attract online clients. The image of him that really showed his personality did not bring in the clientele that he needed for where he was in his marketing.
Two very different looks on the same man. Both professional. One more conservative and one more trendy. What he wore for his professional head shot makes a world of difference in first impressions. Pay close attention to the market that you want to attract and the clients that you will be working with.
