What to Wear: A Guide to Nailing Your Headshot & Branding Session Wardrobe (with Traverse City Inspiration)

Hey everyone, Josh Hartman here. As a Traverse City headshot and branding photographer, the absolute number one question I get asked before a session is: “What on earth should I wear?”

It’s an excellent question. Your wardrobe plays a major role in how your photos feel and how they connect with your target audience. You want to look confident, approachable, and authentic to your brand.

To make things easier, I’ve pulled together some essential tips—illustrated by some of my actual clients—to help you prepare your closet for our time together. Let’s get you camera-ready.

The Golden Rules of Photography Attire

Before we get into specific outfits, let’s talk foundational rules that work for almost every profession and session type.

1. Solid Colors are a Safe Bet

While I love a good pattern, solid colors are generally the smartest choice for photography. Busy patterns can distract the eye from your face and make photos look dated more quickly. A rich, solid color keeps the focus right where it belongs: on you.

2. When in Doubt, Think Long Sleeves

This isn’t a hard-and-fast rule (profession and season matter!), but generally speaking, long sleeves photograph better. Short sleeves or sleeveless tops can introduce extra distractions, as arms often occupy more frame space than intended. Keeping sleeves longer streamlines your silhouette and emphasizes your expression.

Planning Your Time & Outfit Changes

One big misconception is that a 30-minute session is purely for one single look. But with clever layering and planning, we can maximize your time.

The 30-Minute Headshot Strategy (One Main Look)

If you are planning for just one primary outfit, a 30-minute session is adequate. But here’s a pro-tip: You can still get variety! If you’re wearing a suit coat, we might have time to capture a few shots with it off. This simple change gives you a second look without a full wardrobe change.

The 60-Minute Session (Two to Three Outfits)

If your goal is two or three complete outfits, I recommend booking at least 60 minutes. This gives you time to change completely and allows us to explore a couple of different lighting setups. For this length, a great rule of thumb is to bring something casual (like jeans and a nice top) and something more dressy (like a suit or blazer).

The 90-Minute Branding Package (The Full Story)

This is the ultimate option if you want to capture yourself in multiple scenarios. If your content needs show you reading a book, sipping from a favorite coffee mug, working at a computer, and utilizing a variety of backdrops, the 90-minute branding package is the way to go.

See Sam’s Session as the Perfect Example:

Look at Sam’s images to see how a longer branding session can truly capture the narrative of her day. We moved from the home office to the living area, utilizing multiple outfits to create a seamless brand story.

Above: By maximizing her branding session, Sam got professional “work-from-home” content in multiple settings.

Above: Sam showing context (coffee) and comfort (stairs) in different outfits within the same space.

Above: Using layers (the blazer on the right) gives a fast transition from relaxed to polished professional.

Tailoring the Look to Your Profession

The most important rule is that your clothing should match your context.

Dress for Your LinkedIn (More Formal)

If these photos are primarily for your LinkedIn profile or a formal company bio, we probably want to prioritize more dressy or business-professional attire.

Dress for Your Daily Work (The Ashley Example)

Of course, some professions are inherently casual. If your work involves, say, dog training, then dressing in business formal would look unnatural and break trust with your clients. Instead, you want attire that reflects your daily work, like the functional-meets-professional look we did with Ashley in her puffer vest and flannel.

Above: Ashley nailed the context of her job with comfortable, active professional wear.

Focus on the Details: For the Guys

Gentlemen, let’s talk options. “Nothing beats a suit,” in my professional opinion. It creates immediate confidence and strong lines.

Above: This client shows how a great blue blazer can work both ways (seated casual vs. standing power pose).

Suit, Tie, and the Power of Layers

I am a big fan of the suit and tie. If that sounds too rigid for your brand, here’s how to manage it: We can start with the full tie and jacket, and then simply lose the tie for some of the photos. Or, if you genuinely don’t like wearing a tie, just forget it! You will still look incredibly polished in a well-fitted suit jacket.

The “All-in-One” Jacket Change

Just like with the 30-minute session strategy, you can easily take off your suit coat entirely to create greater variety in seconds. The jacket says “Board Meeting,” while the button-down says “Let’s Get Coffee.”

Indoors, Outdoors, and Head-to-Toe

While the majority of my photos are indoors (often using natural window light), I am a big fan of incorporating some outdoor photography, too. We just need to plan for it.

Dillon’s Traverse City Tour

Look at Dillon’s images for a perfect example of how a longer branding session works with locations. We started with his fabulous-looking suit in downtown Traverse City for that polished, urban feel, and then we headed to Old Mission Peninsula for some more casual, nature-focused looks.

Above: Polished urban attire for Dillon’s professional branding.

Above: A complete change of pace, location, and outfit for Dillon’s more personal brand story.

Don’t Forget the Shoes (and Socks!)

Lastly, even though these are “headshot” sessions, we are often taking wider three-quarter or full-body shots, and shoes say a lot. Conversely, maybe you are going for that intentional “cozy on the couch with a coffee mug” vibe, which might call for specific, intentionally chosen socks.

There you have it—a comprehensive guide to preparing your wardrobe. If you have questions about specific outfits or colors, please feel free to ask! The most important thing is that you feel great in what you wear, and I promise you will look amazing.

Ready to book your Traverse City session? Get in touch today!

-Josh Hartman Traverse City Headshot and Branding Photographer