What to Wear to Your Brand Photography Session (And What to Avoid)

Sep 10

The wardrobe question comes up in nearly every consultation call: what should I actually wear? Since brand photography sessions are built to represent your business, not just your face, the answer is a little more involved than it is for a straightforward headshot.

Why Patterns and Logos Work Against You

Busy patterns, small checks, and clothing with visible branding or text compete with your face and your business for attention. A camera picks up on fine detail and texture in a way the human eye tends to smooth over, so a pattern that looks subtle in person can look distracting on screen.

The same goes for wearing a competitor's logo or an outfit so trend-specific it will date the photos within a year.

Color Choices That Photograph Well

Solid colors that contrast gently with your skin tone and hair photograph the most reliably, whether we're shooting in the Louisville studio or on location.

If your brand has specific colors, incorporating one or two into your outfit (without going head-to-toe in your logo palette) is a nice way to tie the images back to your business without looking like a walking advertisement.

Dressing for Brand Photography vs. Traditional Headshots

A traditional headshot session is about your face and your presence from the shoulders up. A brand photography session often includes more: your workspace, your products, you in action with a client or on a call, maybe a candid moment doing something you love outside of work. Personal branding sessions in particular are designed to connect your audience to you as a person, not just your title, so it's worth bringing an outfit or two that reflects your personality outside the office as well as your professional side.

Business branding sessions, which capture your office, your products, your team, and you working with clients, benefit from a slightly more considered wardrobe plan since these images often get used across a wider range of marketing materials, from your website to printed collateral.

Building an Outfit Around How the Photos Will Be Used

Before you plan an outfit, think about where the images are going. A headshot destined for LinkedIn and a professional bio calls for a more polished, one-level-up-from-your-daily-work look. Images meant for social media, a personal brand launch, or an "about me" page have more room for personality and color. Every Headshot Gal branding package includes planning around location, wardrobe, and general session preparation ahead of time, plus a vision-board style conversation so we're both working toward the same visual outcome before the camera comes out.

Booking Your Brand Photography Session

Personal and business branding packages start at $1,490 and include location and wardrobe planning, a vision-board-style planning conversation, coaching and posing throughout the session, options for hair and makeup styling, an Image Use Guide to help you get the most out of your final photos across platforms, and a gallery of retouched, ready-to-download images.

Bring options. Even with a plan in place, having a backup outfit or two on session day means we can adjust in the moment if something isn't reading the way we expected on camera.