What should your team wear for headshots?

01

Company shirts are a good answer, not a compromise

For a lot of teams, branded polos or company shirts are the strongest option. The logo ties the whole set together, it reinforces the brand on every single profile, and it removes the wardrobe decision from twelve people who did not want to make it.

It works especially well for trades, hospitality, healthcare, real estate offices and any business where staff wear the shirt to work anyway. If that is you, just say so in the note and the problem is solved.

02

If you are not doing branded shirts

Aim for consistency without a uniform. Same general level of formality across the team, and a color family rather than one exact color. Navy, charcoal, slate and deep green sit together well. Navy next to lime does not.

I would avoid mandating identical outfits. A page where everyone wears the same blue shirt reads as a uniform, and it strips out the individuality that makes a team look approachable rather than processed.

03

The rules that apply to everybody

Solid mid tones photograph best. Tight patterns like narrow stripes and small checks can shimmer on camera and cannot be fixed afterwards. Nothing shiny, nothing with a slogan, and no logos other than yours.

Everything comes out of pockets, and smart watches come off. On a team set those small things matter more than usual, because inconsistency between twelve photos is much more visible than any single photo's flaws.

• Best: solid mid tones, structured collars, simple necklines
• Fine: company shirts and branded polos, layers, jackets
• Careful with: pure white on white backdrop, pure black on black
• Avoid: tight stripes and checks, slogans, outside logos, shiny fabric
• Off: smart watches, lanyards, name badges, pocket contents

04

One line about the backdrop saves a reshoot

This is the part most wardrobe notes miss. If the team is being shot on the white backdrop, somebody in a white shirt will merge into it. On black, a black jacket does the same.

One line solves it: we are shooting on white, so please avoid an all white outfit. That is the whole message.

05

How the session actually runs

There is no schedule to build. People come over when they are free and I take whoever is next. Most teams are finished in one to two hours.

Each person takes three to five minutes. You look at the camera and I talk you through the small adjustments that change a photo: chin forward a little, shoulders turned, weight back. Nobody needs to know what to do in advance.

06

Give people a way to opt into a second option

Some people care a great deal about this and some do not think about it at all. Saying bring a second option if you want a choice covers both without making it homework.

It also helps the person who turns up in something that is not working. Having a spare in a bag means we fix it in thirty seconds instead of rebooking them.