Colors that photograph well
Solid, mid-tone colors are the safest choice: navy, charcoal, burgundy, forest green, and jewel tones flatter most skin tones and hold up under studio lighting. Pure white can blow out under bright light, and pure black can swallow detail — if you want either, choose an off-white or a textured dark fabric instead.
Avoid busy patterns, thin stripes, and logos. Fine patterns cause moiré (a shimmering distortion) on screens, and logos date a photo quickly. The goal is for the viewer's eye to land on your face, not your shirt.
Dressing for your industry
Finance, law, and consulting still expect traditional formality: a tailored suit or blazer, a collared shirt, and conservative colors. Tech and startup roles read best in a smart-casual range — a quality knit, an unstructured blazer, or a crisp button-down without a tie.
Creative fields allow the most personality, but polish still matters: choose pieces with clean lines and intentional color rather than casual weekend wear. When in doubt, dress one notch above your everyday work attire — a headshot should look like you on your best day.
Necklines, fit, and grooming details
Structured necklines — collars, blazers, crew necks — frame the face better than wide or plunging cuts, which can look unbalanced in a head-and-shoulders crop. Fit matters more than price: a well-fitted inexpensive blazer photographs better than an oversized designer one.
Press or steam whatever you wear; wrinkles are dramatically more visible on camera than in the mirror. Keep jewelry minimal, and if you wear glasses, tilt them slightly downward to reduce glare.
The shortcut: let AI handle the wardrobe
If you don't own the right outfit — or don't want to iron one — an AI professional headshot generator can render studio-appropriate business attire directly from a casual selfie. You choose the style (corporate suit, business casual, executive), and the AI produces a headshot with professional clothing, lighting, and background in about a minute.
This is also the fastest way to test multiple looks: generate a formal version for LinkedIn and a smart-casual version for your company bio, then use whichever fits each context best.