Guide
What not to wear for a headshot
The other half of the wardrobe question. These are the things I watch go wrong, and most of them are fixable in the five minutes before you leave the house.
01
Tight patterns are the number one problem
Narrow stripes, small checks and fine herringbone can fight the camera sensor and throw a shimmering ripple across the fabric. It is called moire, it is not something I can take out afterwards, and it is the most common reason a frame gets thrown away.
A rough rule I use. If the pattern repeats more than about four times across your chest, leave it at home. Bigger, softer patterns are completely fine.
02
Colors that work against your face
Neon and heavily saturated brights bounce their own colour up onto your skin. A bright lime shirt puts a green cast under your chin, and taking it out means pulling green out of your face too.
Pure white and pure black are not banned, they just need a thought. On the white backdrop a white shirt merges into the background and leaves a floating head. On the black backdrop a black jacket does exactly the same. Match the backdrop and you disappear into it.
03
The things that quietly date a photo
Smart watches date a photograph faster than anything else you have on. The screen catches the light, and if it wakes up mid frame you get a bright rectangle on your wrist.
Lanyards, name badges and conference passes come off too, and so does everything in your pockets. A phone in a trouser pocket shows as a bulge. A pen in a shirt pocket shows as a pen in a shirt pocket.
04
Fit problems the camera finds and the mirror does not
A collar that gapes at the neck, a shoulder seam sitting an inch off, a jacket that pulls when you sit down. None of it is obvious in a mirror and all of it is obvious in a photograph cropped to your head and shoulders.
This is the real reason not to buy something new for the session. You have never sat down in it, and the first time you do is on camera.
05
Grooming timing
A haircut the morning of the session is the classic one. Hair needs a few days to settle and stop looking like it was just cut. A week ahead is about right.
On makeup, matte beats dewy. Studio lighting adds its own shine, so a finish that looks lovely in the bathroom mirror can read as oily under lights. Slightly more than you would normally wear, in a matte finish, is the safe answer.
06
What to do if you are unsure
Bring it anyway and we will look at it together on the day. I would far rather try two things than have you talk yourself out of something that would have looked great.
If you want to check beforehand, send me a photo of the outfit. It takes me thirty seconds to answer and it saves the whole thing being a guess.
None of this is a rule you will be marked down on. Turn up in something you feel like yourself in and we will make it work.
- Steven
Questions
What not to wear for a headshot: common questions
Can I wear my glasses?
Yes, and you should if you wear them daily. A headshot without them will not look like you. If you can borrow empty frames from your optician, reflections get easier to control, but it is not necessary. I light around glasses all the time.
What about a beard or stubble?
Whatever you normally have. If you are going to trim, do it a day or two before rather than that morning, for the same reason as a haircut.
Does the white backdrop mean I cannot wear white?
It means think about it. A white shirt against white will merge unless we separate it with light, which I can do, but a jacket or a mid tone over the top makes it easier and usually looks better.
Can I retake it if I hate the outfit afterwards?
Tell me on the day and we will shoot another option, that is what the second outfit is for. Once the session is over, a reshoot is a new session.
What areas do you cover?
The whole Coachella Valley. I shoot regularly in Palm Springs, Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage, Indio, Cathedral City, and Desert Hot Springs, and I am happy to travel anywhere in the valley at no extra charge. There is a page for each city and service below with the details for that area.
- Real Estate in Palm Springs
- Real Estate in Palm Desert
- Real Estate in La Quinta
- Real Estate in Rancho Mirage
- Real Estate in Indio
- Real Estate in Cathedral City
- Real Estate in Desert Hot Springs
- Events in Palm Springs
- Events in Palm Desert
- Events in La Quinta
- Events in Rancho Mirage
- Events in Indio
- Events in Cathedral City
- Events in Desert Hot Springs
- Headshots in Palm Springs
- Headshots in Palm Desert
- Headshots in La Quinta
- Headshots in Rancho Mirage
- Headshots in Indio
- Headshots in Cathedral City
Ready when you are
Ten years of shoots across the Coachella Valley. If you would rather talk it through than read another list, that works too.
Book a headshot sessionKeep reading
- What to wear for professional headshotsPeople worry about this more than any other part of the session, and it is honestly simpler than most of what you will read online. Here is what I tell everyone who asks.
- Which headshot backdrop should you choose?Three options, all of them included in the price. Which one is right depends less on taste than on where the photograph is going to end up.
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