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What Colors are Best For Professional Headshots?

A guide to choosing the best colors for your professional headshots: Based on your body, skin, and preferences, let's design you a color pallette that represents your true essence on your headshot image.

A man in a grey suit giving a big smile for a professional headshot

It has happened to all of us: We are scrolling through some social applications, and a simple picture with perfect color balance catches our eye. Isn't it mesmerizing? But is it just the photo that rates the magic, or is there something else?

The color palette of a headshot can create a 'wow' effect. The right color choice radiates energy, making you appear slimmer, more confident, or brighter.

If you can't wait to make your Professional Headshot look like those business magazine cover pictures, this guide will help significantly. You will learn about the best colors to wear for your headshots.

Keep reading…

Find colors that flatter your complexion. 

Every complexion is unique and beautiful in its way. And that beauty must be enhanced and enriched to let the world notice, especially when a professional headshot is concerned. 

If you are wondering what color to wear for professional headshots, here is how you can get it right!

Understand what your complexion needs. 

Understanding your complexion is key. Determine where you fall on the light-dark spectrum, whether dusky, wheatish, or fair.

Professional Headshots run on the psychology of contrast. So, while choosing the best color to wear for headshots, you must develop an understanding of skin tones and shades. 

Know your skin color better.

People often consider complexion and color the same thing, but we will get it right for you. The complexion is straightforward, with light and dark shades. But skin color has its phenomenal range. There are so many regions, continents, and countries in the world, all with a different tint of climatic scenarios. We can't put skin color into boxes of differentiation. It's a range with no defined limits. 

Still, some color factors can help you get your perfect Headshot. 

 man wearing a green suit looking smart in a professional photo
  • Olive Green: People in Asia, the Middle East, and America are suitable suitors of this shade. 
  • Red: The brown people or those from the African regions have a tint of Red in their skin tones; thus, using Red for a headshot beautifully compliments it. 
  • Blue: Most people from Asia and the Middle East have a blue hue on their skin. Any color contrasting with Blue adds a phenomenal look and makes the best color for headshots. 

Our skin is not one defined parameter. It blends several shades, all of which are beautifully unique. 

A few more details. 

  • Neutral skin tones should go with a balanced tone that is dark and dusky. Hues are only some of the perfect options.
  •  If you have a cold skin tone, go for blues, natural, and a vibrant palette. 
  • If your skin tone is warm, pick neutral colors that enhance your features and let your natural glow shine. 

There is a shade within the skin too.

Getting the perfect headshot can be challenging, right? It would help if you got everything perfect. So now that you are done with understanding how skin shades work, it is time to get under the skin. 

Nothing to joke about; you indeed have a skin tone under your skin. It is called the undertone of your skin.

What's that?

While choosing the best color to wear for professional headshots, you must understand the undertone game. All ethnicities, races, and different native people have two or three undertones. Several fun DIY tests can help you know what you need to understand. 

  1. The vein test: If the majority of the veins on the inside of your wrist are green, you have a warm undertone. If they are blue, you are cool-toned. If they are a mix you are a neutral tone.
  2. The white paper test: Another test is to hold a plain white sheet of paper next to your face and see if your skin appears more pink in comparison (cold-toned) or more yellow/olive in comparison(warm-toned)
Understanding Undertones
Source

Choose colors that make you stand out!

Have you heard of the famous campaign tagline of Levis

Be Proud. Be bold. Be yourself. 

This tagline stands true even when selecting the best color to wear for your headshot. 

Bold makes you stand out, whether it's color or a business move. Though there are no set rules or regulations, there are specific colors that are always the showstoppers. 

Blue

Blue is the corporate color. No, it's not mentioned anywhere, but it's a color that completely fits professionalism. The light shades of blue, like powder blue, are so much in trend. The tenderness of this color brings a certain amount of soft glow to pictures. At the same time, the darker shades, combined with a contrasting touch, make the look attractive. 

Also, as per the color psychology, blue showcases calm and serenity. Blue makes you look confident and evokes authoritativeness. 

The cool skin tones look very balanced and regal in blue shades. Also, if someone has blonde or brown hair, blue makes them stand out. 

The versatility of the color highlights your personality and makes you look confident with your choices. Also, it is universally believed that blue is an easy-to-notice color. And that feature is an excellent reason to wear blue or use it as a background shade for professional headshots. 

Black 

Everyone knows that Black is the cult classic color. Black can never go off the season. This may be the best color for headshots. It's always the regal choice to grab the spotlight forever. Wearing a black outfit can never make Jack a dull boy! Black screams sheer elegance and grace. Most elite professionals are often seen slaying in their black attire. 

Whether you belong to the upper management or some executive profile, here's how you can style that black thing in your wardrobe waiting to make heads turn. 

  • The Ladies: A basic black toasted with some elegant golden accessories is a perfect take for a classic headshot.  
  • The Men: All black is also a good option, but to break the monotony style, a black coat with a light-shade shirt is a great match. 
  • The Must: Baggy and voluminous clothing is not for professionals. Go for perfect fits as per the bossy type, and let your headshot do its thing.

Grey 

Neither too dark nor too light. It's not dull, it's not light, it's not predictable, and it's not very flashy. It is just perfection! Yes, that's precisely what a grey color says. 

Grey goes with all types of skin tones and hair colors and does magic to a professional look for every season. 

But yes, though the color is sassy, it can make your headshot look dull. For that not to happen, add some bright colors in the background. It compliments the attire with some accessories and scarves of brighter shades to elevate the entire look. Also, adjust the lighting for headshots so that the color palette looks balanced for professional headshots.

Red

The most skeptical one, for sure. But the only one that can create an impact of 'Hey, I have arrived.' Red is a very energetic-cum-enthusiastic color, making your headshot speak the same narrative.  

This color can make headshots shine for people with brown and warm complexions. Red radiates royal energy and amazes people. Also, if you are taking charge of C-Suite positions, this one is the perfect choice for you to stand out. 

If you are skeptical about using this color, go for accessories, shoes, or a lip shade. 

Dear readers trust that red is the language of flamboyance and royalty. 

Purple

Purple is another color that beautifully fits in the professional palate. This color looks great on people with both warm and cold skin tones alike. Also, purple comes in a range of shades. So there is complete room for you to make the right choice for your professional headshot. 

Lilac and lavender are more in trend. They make some of the best colors for female headshots especially. These days, we can spot them everywhere; walls, flowers, coats, dresses, jackets, ties, and more. These colors feel so fresh, new, and creative. Choosing them can make your headshot stand out to the audience in a world that still requires a repetitive palate. 

Green

Green is just the synonym for vibrance and growth. Green is the color that dates so much life and energy. A headshot with the addition of subtle green in it makes the recruiters believe in your creativity. 

If you have cool skin tones and brown hair, this is genuinely one of the best colors to wear for professional headshots. 

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Pro tip: One pro tip is to use the color wheel. Use this for matching and pairing headshot backgrounds, accessories, and clothes. If you are looking for monochrome, choose colors of the same family. If you are looking for complimenting or contrasting colors, look at the colors exactly opposite to your primary shade in the color wheel. Those are the best colors to wear for headshots.
A Creative Color Wheel  For Choosing Color Schemes

Pick colors that align with your industry.

The best color to wear for professional headshots differs across industries. Here is a basic segregation you must know before selecting the color palette for your headshot. 

  • Business Headshots: The best color to wear for headshots should be attractive at first glance. Sometimes, you can study the color your client often uses or is fond of and take advantage of that. If the occasion requires you to look approachable, go for a lighter shade. And if it's the opposite, then go for a darker shade. 
  • Corporate Headshots: Many corporations have their brand guidelines for headshots, so you can refer to them before selecting any color. 
  • Casual Headshots: If it's for social media presence or web presence, you can go with a theme, like the kind of vibe you want to resonate with your headshot. Headshots supported by a theme uniquely stand out and make their presence more visible. 

Let's give it the final touch with InstaHeadshots. 

You must be feeling all this is complex, but hey, in the times of AI, there is a solution for everything else. And in this case, it's InstaHeadshots. 

Now, what's InstaHeadshots?It's an AI tool that helps you get your perfect AI-generated headshots. All you have to do is upload your selfie with the recommended steps, and there you get 10 styles to choose from. From there, you can check out what suits you and your industry well. Also, they have an excellent range of pricing plans for you to choose from at your convenience. 

With InstaHeadshots, it is easier to get your perfect headshot than it sounds!  

Just Click>Upload>Choose>Slay. 

So, get it right and easy-peasy with InstaHeadshots. 

No hassle, complexities, jargon, just easy headshots in no time. 

FAQs:

  1. What color should I wear for a headshot?

If you are warm-toned (or have medium to dark skin), any color with a warm tone goes. So say you have brown skin, anything in olive, red, or blue will work on you. If you have cold tones(or have fair skin) any cold toned color goes. So lavender, lilac, black, or blue.

  1. What is the best color to wear in a professional headshot?

The best color to wear for headshots is black or blue. They work well generally for all in a professional headshot

  1. What is the best color for acting headshots?

For acting headshots, use a colorful palette to appear creative and vibrant. White and denim blue look great for actor headshots.

  1. What color makes you look prettier?

Any soft colors like baby pink, powder blue, lilac, or lavender will make you appear prettier.

  1. What color makes you look good in pictures?

Blue, black, beige, and brown generally look great for headshot pictures. These are generally the best colors to wear for headshots

Are you looking to get the best professional headshots?

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Contact Us:

Got questions or need more information? Our friendly team is here to help. Reach out at help@instaheadshots.com. 

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