The best colours to wear for headshots

What is the best colour to wear for headshots?

You’ve come here for an answer to a simple question, and instead you’ve got yourself a blog post?

To answer the question quickly: there is no BEST colour to wear. But there are lot of colours that look great, and some will work better than others depending on your skin tone and eye colour in particular.

So, despite the fact you’re seeing a lot of text below… I am here to help.

Let’s have a look at some colours in headshots, and how they can work powerfully…

UNIVERSALLY SAFE COLOURS

You can pretty safely assume that black, white and grey (the neutrals) are always going to photograph well.

These colours will ensure they don’t generally clash with backgrounds, websites, or even other headshots if they’re being presented on a company website. 

Professional corporate headshot of melbourne accountant wearing glasses and a formal suit. He smiles to camera on a light grey studio background.
Melbourne musician Glenn is seated in a grey armchair in a portrait studio, wearing a professional suit. He leans on his knees in a professional poses and smiles to camera.
Actor headshot of teen actress taken in natural light outdoors in Melbourne.
Melbourne actor poses for serious headshot taken in studio, looking over her shoulder directly to camera.
Modern corporate headshot of Melbourne man taken on an orange background

BLUE & GREY EYES

For those with blue or grey eyes, the best colours to wear are light and dark blue (denim always looks great), greys and white.

Melbourne Actors Headshots - Acting headshot photography - Professional actor headshots - actor headshots melbourne - corporate photography melbourne - linkedin headshot
A captivating actor headshot of mature melbourne actress Angela, who leans in towards the camera with a very slight smile.
A studio portrait of melbourne professional for a new linkedin headshot. There is a bright yellow background behind him and he smiles to camera.
Natural outdoor actor headshot taken at golden hour in melbourne's eastern suburbs. Woman wears a pale blue tshirt and smiles to camera with the wind blowing through her hair.

GREEN & HAZEL EYES

Similar to above, matching your clothing to your eye colour always helps make them stand out. 

For green and hazel eyes, consider wearing greens, earthy tones and autumn colours (like oranges, creams and beige). 

Melbourne actress and dancer looks over her shoulder on an olive green background for a captivating studio headshot.
Teen model looks over her shoulder in a monochromatic olive green fashion portrait. She has green eyes and blond hair, for a striking model headshot.
Actor headshot of man looking to camera with serious expression taken in studio
Relaxed headshot of woman leaning against an earthy wall. She smiles to camera wearing a floral blouse.

BROWN EYES

Reds, blacks and earthy tones are your friends here. The darker your eyes, the more impact darker clothing will have.

For paler brown eyes, earthier tones will draw attention to them most.

Professional corporate headshot of woman smiling softly to camera on a grey background.
Melbourne barrister headshot of man smiling to camera wearing a suit and tie.
Actor headshot of young melbourne actress looking directly to camera. She has red hair and a deep red blouse, standing next to a brick wall.
Melbourne actress looks up at camera with a relaxed expression for a clean studio headshot.
A personal branding portrait of melbourne mortgage broker, who stands leaning against a studio wall with a relaxed arms crossed pose, and is smiling to camera.

PALER SKINTONES

If you have a pale skintone (like me!) a pop of colour often looks great. 

Sometimes darker tones can cause too much contrast and ‘wash you out’. In saying this, having contrast can help if you want to go for something unique and striking. 

Professional headshot of Julia nance holding a camera next to her cheek, smiling to camera on a pink background, wearing pink.
Melbourne barrister headshot of woman smiling to camera wearing a button up blue jacket and glasses.
A happy and relaxed studio headshot of melbourne man wearing a green tshirt on a green background, taken in studio.
Personal branding headshot of Melbourne business owner with hand stretched out to camera.

TANNED & ASIAN SKINTONES

Look for earthy tones, whites, blues and blacks. That’s almost everything – so not very helpful. I find it’s often about balancing what you wear with our choice of background as well. It all comes together.

A personal branding portrait of melbourne mortgage broker, who stands leaning against a studio wall with a relaxed arms crossed pose, and is smiling to camera.
Studio portrait of melbourne model with arms crossed while seated on a stool. He looks to camera with a serious expression.
Melbourne actor and musician looks to camera with serious expression in actor headshot update.
Serious actor headshot of melbourne man taken in studio.
Studio corporate headshot of woman wearing white cardigan and glasses, smiling at the camera.

DARKER SKINTONES

Grey, black, navy and earthy tones often all look great with darker skintones.

You can also opt for lighter tones, like whites, and they’ll look great too. In these cases, I prefer a mid-darker background to help bring more contrast into the image. 

Corporate headshot of melbourne man taken on a grey background.
Contemporary corporate branding portraits of man sitting down. He has his hands clasped and a gentle expression on his face. The image has dramatic lighting, and the man wears a professional blazer and suit pants.
Man photographed in studio, seated in an armchair posed with his hand to his chin, wearing a serious expression for a corporate headshot.
Studio personal branding headshot of melbourne businessman
Melbourne actress looks to camera with serious and relaxed expression for headshot update.
Professional Headshot of man smiling in grey suit. Melbourne Corporate Headshot Photography, LinkedIn headshot Photography, Personal Branding Photography.

Ultimately, your headshot needs to reflect you and be career-appropriate. You may have specific requirements for colours and styles to wear depending on your career, so keep this in mind too.

You want your headshot to help you stand out and show you at your best. To do that, you also need to feel your best.

Always remember to pick colours that make you happy, and bring out your confidence . 

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Julia Nance 11/03/2023
Headshot Advice

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Julia Nance

Julia Nance is a headshot and portrait photographer based in Melbourne, Australia. Her vibrant creativity is inspired by her experiences. From photographing whales underwater to travelling in Europe. With a vast background in a range of photographic areas, it is Julia’s natural ability to connect with her subjects that ultimately drew her to the art of portraiture.Corporate Headshots | Personal Branding | Actor Headshots | LinkedIn Headshots |
Melbourne actress angela laughs to camera in a studio actor headshot. She wears a navy collared shirt and is photographed on a navy background.
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Portrait of Julia Nance wearing a bright pink dress with one hand on her hip and the other holding her camera. She smiles to camera and stands confidently.

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