Dallas Headshot Photography: Jacket or No Jacket

As with any big night out, people that are having corporate headshot photography in Dallas taken will be spending, or at least should be spending some time thinking about what they are going to wear. It’s a big deal, and as you probably know, the things that you wear communicate a lot about who you are, and the culture that your company carries with it. So, no pressure in figuring out that outfit right?! Well, today I wanted to focus in on one very specific piece of clothing for this outfit: the jacket. The choice of whether or not you are going to wear a jacket is important, so here are a few considerations before you decide one way or the other.

First, you need to know what your company culture is, or what you are trying to shape it to be. If you are the owner, it is probably a direct reflection of you personally, so think about who you are as an individual.

For ladies, I find this to be a pretty subjective decision. Most corporate women I have photographed Dallas corporate portraits of wear a jacket, and it carries a strong look. Companies such as law firms are often more formal, so wearing a jacket is a necessity. However, I’ve shot very elegant portraits and headshots of ladies wearing a nice top or blouse without the jacket, so you can still communicate a strong look without it. Even with the jacket, I feel like women have a lot of options at their disposal, and can select a jacket that can range from formal to informal depending on what they prefer. The only advice I would have when not wearing a jacket is to watch the sleeves. I would always tend towards wearing an outfit with long sleeves, as I think it looks better, and in the case of Dallas headshot photography, it will also ensure that the image looks better when cropped. You won’t have a sliver of skin showing on one side that could be distracting.

For men, I find the question of jacket or no jacket a bit more straightforward. I have shot corporate portraits in Dallas of executives who have posed wearing everything from a sharp custom-tailored suit and tie with all the stylish accouterment to a nice button-down shirt with an open collar, designer jeans and a sport coat. Both have jackets on, and give a solid polished look. I’ve also had CEOs shoot an option where they have no tie and jacket, and just wear the buttoned down shirt. It certainly gives a more relaxed look, and usually is a look reserved for a particular audience they want to appeal to. My advice is this: As a default, I always recommend that men wear a jacket, even if they don’t wear a tie. You can range from casual to formal pretty easily, plus I like the way it gives you more of a flattering and tapered look. However, if time and budget allows, you can always shoot another option without the jacket. I just would recommend long sleeves as with the ladies if you do, as it does look more polished, and again, the images will crop better.

Now, I certainly have my opinions when it comes to corporate portrait photography, and do caution people against wearing certain things. However, with the jackets, it is more of an aesthetic decision. Depending on the type of work that you do, there may be no wrong decision, or you may even talk to your photographer about capturing both options just to have more variety and marketability for your images.

Whatever you decide, just make sure to go ahead and spend a little time thinking about how you want to look before your photography session, and just like that night out on the town, get ready to rock it!