Professional Headshot Tips: What to Wear & Why It Matters
- Shea Swinford
- Jul 8
- 3 min read
What if one of the most powerful branding decisions you make isn't your logo, your website, or even your headshot—but the color of the jacket you're wearing for your professional headshot?
As photographers and personal brand strategists, we spend countless hours helping clients choose locations, lighting, lenses, and poses. Yet one of the most influential visual cues is often treated as an afterthought: wardrobe color.
Modern research in color psychology tells us something fascinating.
Color doesn't simply make us look "good." It helps shape the expectations people form before we've spoken a single word.
That doesn't mean blue magically creates trust or red automatically signals leadership. The science is far more interesting than that.
Color Works Through Association
Researchers Dr. Karen Schloss and Dr. Stephen Palmer developed what is known as the Ecological Valence Theory, which proposes that our reactions to colors are largely built from our experiences and associations.
In simple terms, we like colors that remind us of things we like, and we react differently to colors based on what they represent in our own lives and culture.
This is why there isn't a universal "best color" for every executive, entrepreneur, or speaker.
Instead, the question becomes:
What do you want people to expect before you introduce yourself?
Context Changes Everything
Dr. Andrew J. Elliot, one of the world's leading color psychology researchers, has spent years demonstrating that color influences our thoughts, emotions, and behavior—but only within context.
A red blazer on a motivational keynote speaker communicates something very different than the same blazer on a financial advisor.
A navy suit on a CEO can reinforce competence and stability.
The same navy polo on a fitness coach may feel conservative and restrained.
The color didn't change.
The context did.
First Impressions Are Built Like a Puzzle
Psychologists have shown that people begin forming first impressions in fractions of a second.
They aren't judging one thing.
They're processing dozens of visual signals simultaneously:
Facial expression
Eye contact
Posture
Clothing
Fit
Grooming
Body language
Lighting
Background
Color
Color is simply one piece of that larger visual story.
And when every piece points in the same direction, your professional headshot and personal brand becomes incredibly believable.
ASK THIS INSTEAD...
What do you want people to feel when they meet you?
Do you want to project authority or approachability?
Confidence or creativity?
Stability or innovation?
Warmth or precision?
Once those answers are clear, the wardrobe becomes strategic rather than decorative.
This Is Why Personal Branding Photography Is Different
A great personal brand portrait isn't about making someone photogenic. Again, this is not about a "pretty picture".
It's about helping someone become immediately understandable.
Every decision—from wardrobe color to posing to expression—is communicating something long before your client ever shakes hands, walks on stage, joins a Zoom meeting, or posts on LinkedIn.
Color isn't the story.
It's the amplifier.
When your clothing, posture, expression, and message all reinforce the same identity, people don't just notice you.
They remember you.
And in today's attention economy, that may be the most valuable first impression you can make.
A Real-World Example from My Studio
One of my clients, Veronica Fisher, stands just 5’ 1/2” feet tall.
If you met her in a crowded conference room, you might initially underestimate her.
Until she starts speaking.
Within moments, she commands the room. She's decisive, energetic, incredibly competent, and has a presence that's impossible to ignore.
So when we planned her personal branding session, we intentionally chose a bold red blazer.
Was it because research says red equals leadership?
Not exactly.
We chose red because the wardrobe needed to align with the experience people have when they meet Veronica.
Research from Dr. Andrew Elliot suggests that red is often associated with dominance, confidence, and achievement in competitive or leadership contexts. But he also cautions that color only works within context.
In Veronica's case, the color wasn't creating confidence.
It was reinforcing confidence that already existed.
When someone sees her photograph before meeting her, they're already beginning to form expectations. The bold red jacket subtly communicates energy, confidence, and decisiveness—qualities she naturally delivers the moment she walks into the room.
The photograph isn't exaggerating who she is.
It's preparing people for who they're about to meet.
That's the difference between choosing clothing because it's your favorite color and choosing clothing because it's strategically aligned with your personal brand.
The goal wasn't to make Veronica Fisher appear powerful. It was to ensure that her photograph made the same first impression as she does in real life. The red blazer served as a visual cue, preparing viewers for the confidence, competence, and presence they would come to experience.
"Helping leaders intentionally shape the first impression they make before they ever say a word"
~Shea Swinford /Perception Strategist and founder of The Personal Brand Studio
