Top 5 things NOT to wear for a headshot!
I try not to be too rigid with the idea of “what NOT to wear” because truthfully there have been times when intuitively I didn’t think something would work, and lo and behold, some outside the box thinking can pay off. That said, in the following list I will rate each item as either “NEVER” or “MAYBE BUT DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH”.
1 . LOGOS
When I was growing up, for years at Christmas my Grandma would give me sweatshirts with a big “GAP” logo on them. “Grandma, the Gap should be paying ME to wear their logo, not the other way around” is what my internal monologue would be screaming!
So ya, NO to t-shirts or sweatshirts with logos on them. Logos and and really any big graphic on a shirt more often than not distract from what the main focus is here, which is you. Pretty self explanatory.
*** exceptions can be a cool band t-shirt, again as long as it adds to your vibe and doesn’t distract from you
VERDICT: NEVER (unless it’s a cool band t-shirt)
This t-shirt is cool, totally adds to Annie’s vibe.
We’re not selling Guess merch here!
2 . THINGS THAT ARE WORN OUT
True, in the example above Annie’s shirt has a big rip in in, but that’s part of Annie’s edgy vibe. What I’m getting at is garments that should look clean and crisp but are showing signs of wear and tear. There’s a phrase I use sometimes, “looking expensive”. What I mean by that is we’re trying to sell the idea that whoever may be hiring you should be looking at your image and subconsciously be thinking, “Who is this person? I need them in my life! Can we even afford them???”
when a garment starts to thin and we can see skin through it
fraying
pilling
stains
holes.
These things will distract the viewer from what we’re trying to show, which is that YOU ARE AWESOME!
VERDICT: NEVER (unless it’s a cool band t-shirt or something stylish where rips make sense)
3. CLOTHES THAT DON’T FIT
This should be a general life rule, but please PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE bring things that fit. If things are too small, you look like the Incredible Hulk bursting out of your clothes. If clothes are too big, you look like a kid playing dress-up with their parents clothing.
Below are a couple of videos I like, but I really encourage you to explore Youtube for this. There are TONS of videos on this subject.
VERDICT: NEVER NEVER NEVER
4. LOUD PATTERNS
These can work (see Sommerville below), especially if there’s a cool neckline, or there’s a vintage vibe to it, so I do encourage you to bring these if it’s a garment you absolutely LOVE. Just don’t be married to it if we try and shoot it and it’s just not working.
VERDICT: MAYBE BUT DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH
Especially because we contrasted this with a bright red backdrop, this pattern was something we could make work.
5. LOUD COLORS
Same as with loud patterns, this can work, but can also be distracting. This can definitely depend on what type of image you’re trying to project. Are you a serious thespian? Then let’s keep things more neutral. Are you a wacky Carrot Top style comedian? Then maybe lime green or hot pink can work. Context is everything here.