What to Wear for Executive & Business Headshots in New Orleans

Wardrobe, grooming and preparation advice for executive, corporate and professional headshots in New Orleans, from a photographer with more than 30 years behind the camera.

A headshot is often the first impression a client, recruiter, board or conference audience gets of you. After more than 30 years of photographing executives, attorneys, doctors, actors, musicians and entire company teams, I can tell you that what you wear does more of the work than most people expect. Here is how I advise clients to prepare for a New Orleans headshot session.

Start with solid, mid-to-deep colors. Navy, charcoal, deep green, burgundy and soft blues photograph beautifully and keep attention on your face. Busy patterns, narrow stripes and small checks can shimmer on camera, and bright white or neon tends to become the brightest thing in the frame.

Dress one notch above what you wear on an ordinary workday. A well-fitted jacket instantly adds structure to a head-and-shoulders crop, even if the rest of your outfit is relaxed. If your company culture is casual, a clean knit, a simple collared shirt or a structured blouse is still more polished than a T-shirt.

Fit matters more than brand. Shoulders that sit correctly and collars that lie flat look sharper than an expensive garment that is too big. Bring clothing on hangers rather than folded in a bag, because creases show up quickly at full resolution, especially in New Orleans humidity.

Bring two or three options. A light and a dark top, or a jacket and no jacket, gives us real variety for LinkedIn, a company website, speaker bios and press materials. In my private Tremé studio we can change backgrounds and lighting between looks, so a second outfit adds a lot of value for very little time.

Keep accessories quiet. Simple jewelry, glasses you actually wear every day (we will angle the lights to manage reflections), and nothing that pulls the eye away from your expression. For grooming, a fresh but not same-day haircut usually looks the most natural, and a matte finish on skin photographs better than shine.

For location and office sessions, think about the setting. If we are photographing your team on site, or outdoors in the French Quarter or the Warehouse District, coordinating a simple color range across everyone keeps the company page looking consistent without making people look like they are in uniform.

Finally, rest and hydrate the day before. The best headshots happen when you are relaxed, and that part is my job. I will coach expression and posture throughout the session so you leave with images that look confident, approachable and genuinely like you.

If you are planning headshots for yourself or your whole team, see the details on New Orleans headshot photography or get in touch to check dates.