Guide

What not to wear for a headshot

The other half of the wardrobe question. These are the things I see go wrong, and most of them are fixable in the five minutes before you leave.

By Steven Recinos · 5 min read · Updated June 2026

Business headshot photographed with soft studio lighting

01

Tight patterns are the number one problem

Narrow stripes, small checks and fine herringbone can interfere with the camera sensor and produce a shimmering ripple across the fabric. It is called moire, it is not something I can remove afterwards, and it is the single most common reason a shot gets thrown out.

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 color up onto your skin. A bright lime shirt puts a green cast under your chin, and correcting it means pulling green out of your face too.

Pure white and pure black are not banned, but they need 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 the same. Match the backdrop and you disappear into it.

03

The things that quietly date a photo

Smart watches date a photo faster than anything else you are wearing. The screen catches 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. So does everything in your pockets. A phone in a trouser pocket shows as a bulge, and 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. None of it is obvious standing in front of a mirror, and all of it is obvious in a photo cropped to your head and shoulders.

This is the real reason not to buy something new for the session. You have not sat down in it, and the first time you do is on camera.

05

Grooming timing

A haircut the morning of a session is the classic mistake. Hair needs a few days to settle and stop looking like it was just cut. A week ahead is right.

On makeup, matte beats dewy. Studio lighting adds its own shine, so a finish that looks glowing in the bathroom mirror reads 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 together on the day. I would much rather try two things than have you talk yourself out of something that would have looked great.

If you want to check in advance, send me a photo of the outfit before the session. It takes me thirty seconds to answer and it saves the whole thing being a guess.

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.

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.

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Take this guide with youA short, printable PDF version. Send it to a client, print it for the office, or keep it on your phone for the day of the shoot.PDF