What Should I Wear for a Corporate Headshot?
Not sure what to wear?
A few smart wardrobe choices can help you look confident, polished, and natural in your corporate headshot.
What Should I Wear for a Corporate Headshot?
One of the most common questions I get before a headshot session is:
What should I wear?
The good news is, you probably don’t need to go buy a completely new outfit.
For most corporate headshots, the goal is pretty simple: look polished, feel like yourself, and avoid anything that distracts from your face.
Start With What You Normally Wear to Work
A good rule of thumb is to dress like the best version of yourself at work.
If you normally wear a suit and tie when meeting clients, wear a suit and tie.
If your company culture is more business casual, a blazer, button-down, blouse, sweater, or clean professional top may make more sense.
And if you work in a more relaxed or creative environment, your headshot doesn’t necessarily need to look overly formal.
You want the photograph to feel professional, but you also want it to feel like you.
Solid Colors Usually Work Best
In general, solid colors photograph really well.
Navy, blue, gray, black, cream, green, burgundy, and other simple colors are all great options.
That doesn’t mean you have to avoid patterns completely, but very small patterns, tight stripes, or busy designs can sometimes become distracting in a photograph.
When in doubt, simple usually wins.
The goal is for someone to notice your expression first, not your shirt.
Think About Contrast
You also want to think about the background your company is using.
If everyone is being photographed on a white or very light background, wearing a white shirt by itself can sometimes blend into the background.
That doesn’t mean you can’t wear white. Adding a jacket, blazer, sweater, or another layer can create separation.
The same idea applies to darker backgrounds.
A little contrast between your clothing and the background helps you stand out.
If we’re photographing an entire team, we can also help the company think through wardrobe recommendations ahead of time so the final group of headshots feels consistent.
Layers Are Your Friend
One of the easiest ways to make a headshot look more polished is to add a layer.
A blazer, jacket, cardigan, or structured overshirt can add shape and dimension without making the outfit feel overly formal.
Layers are also helpful because they give us options.
We might photograph you with the jacket on and then take a few without it.
That gives you different looks without needing an entire wardrobe change.
Avoid Anything Too Distracting
There are very few absolute rules when it comes to clothing, but I would generally avoid anything that pulls attention away from your face.
That could include:
Very large logos
Extremely bright neon colors
Busy graphics
Very tight repeating patterns
Clothing that you constantly have to adjust
The same goes for jewelry.
Jewelry is completely fine, but if a necklace or pair of earrings is going to dominate the photograph, you may want to simplify it.
Again, the goal isn't to remove your personality.
It's just to keep you as the focus of the photograph.
Make Sure Your Clothes Fit Well
This matters more than people realize.
A $50 shirt that fits you well will usually photograph better than an expensive jacket that is too large or too tight.
Before your headshot, check the collar, sleeves, shoulders, and neckline.
And if you’re wearing a jacket, make sure it sits comfortably when you’re standing rather than only when you’re sitting.
We can fix small things during the session, but starting with clothing that fits well makes everything easier.
What About Glasses?
Wear them if you normally wear them.
Your headshot should look like you.
Professional lighting can usually be adjusted to minimize glare in glasses, so there’s no reason to automatically remove them.
If you occasionally wear glasses and occasionally don’t, we can also photograph both.
Should I Wear a Tie?
That depends entirely on your industry and how you normally present yourself professionally.
For attorneys, executives, financial professionals, or other more traditional industries, a tie may make sense.
For many companies today, an open-collar shirt with a blazer can look professional without feeling overly formal.
If you're unsure, bring the tie.
We can photograph a few images with it and a few without it.
Options are always good.
Should I Bring More Than One Outfit?
For a standard corporate team headshot day, you usually don't need multiple outfits.
When we're photographing a large team efficiently, it's best to arrive ready to be photographed.
But bringing an extra jacket, tie, or simple layer is easy and can give us another option quickly.
For individual executive portraits or branding sessions, multiple outfits can make much more sense because we have additional time to create different looks.
Hair and Makeup
Try not to do anything dramatically different just because you're having your headshot taken.
You want to look like yourself on a really good day.
For makeup, slightly more definition than you might normally wear can photograph well, but there's no need to overdo it.
For hair, wear it in a way that feels normal and comfortable to you.
And if your company is coordinating a larger headshot day, professional hair and makeup can sometimes be added as an option.
Don't Stress About It
This is probably the most important advice.
People tend to overthink their headshot.
You don't need the perfect outfit.
You need clothing that fits well, feels professional, and makes you comfortable.
Once you step in front of the camera, the photographer should take care of the rest.
At Nashville Headshot Co., we help with posing, expression, posture, small wardrobe adjustments, and all the little things that most people don't know what to do with once a camera is pointed at them.
You don't need to know how to pose.
That's our job.
What Should Your Team Wear for Corporate Headshots?
If you're organizing headshots for an entire company, consistency matters more than everyone wearing the exact same thing.
You don't necessarily want 50 people dressed identically.
Instead, give your team a simple guideline.
For example:
Business professional or elevated business casual. Solid or subtle colors are recommended. Avoid large logos, busy patterns, and very bright neon colors.
That gives everyone direction while still allowing them to look like themselves.
And if you're planning a team headshot day in Nashville, we're happy to help you think through wardrobe, background choices, scheduling, and the overall look before the session.
The goal is simple:
Create headshots where everyone looks confident, approachable, and like they belong to the same company.
Planning Headshots for Your Team?
We make corporate headshot days simple, from scheduling and wardrobe guidance to private galleries and final image delivery.