Tara Flannery is a Certified Professional Photographer (CPP), Photographic Craftsman, and Master of Photography based in Houston, TX. Tara Flannery Photography specializes in personal branding and corporate branding. See more branding images in the gallery. Contact me to book your branding session today!
Table of Contents
“What am I supposed to wear?”
It’s one of the biggest questions clients have when preparing for a branding photoshoot—and unlike a traditional headshot, there usually isn’t just one answer.
A branding session is designed to give you variety. Depending on your session, we may photograph several outfits, backgrounds, poses, and setups so you leave with a collection of images you can use throughout your website, social media, marketing, and other professional platforms.
But that doesn’t mean you need to bring your entire closet.
The goal is to choose outfits intentionally so each look gives you something different while still feeling cohesive with your overall brand.
If you’re wondering what to wear for a branding photoshoot, here are seven things I recommend considering as you start planning your wardrobe.
1. Start With Your Brand, Not Your Closet
Before you start pulling clothes off hangers, take a minute to think about what your brand actually feels like.
Ask yourself:
How do I want someone to perceive me when they see these photos?
Maybe you want to come across as:
- Polished and professional
- Warm and approachable
- Creative and energetic
- Confident and authoritative
- Relaxed and personable
- Modern and sophisticated
Your wardrobe can help communicate those qualities before someone ever reads a word about your business.
Your industry matters, too.
An attorney, realtor, creative director, physician, consultant, and boutique owner probably shouldn’t arrive at their branding sessions with identical wardrobes. Your photos need to make sense for the work you do and the people you’re trying to reach.
Start with your brand—and then go shopping in your closet.
2. Bring Outfits That Show Different Sides of Your Brand
One of the biggest benefits of a branding session is variety.
If every outfit has the exact same level of formality, color palette, and overall feel, you may end up with a gallery of beautiful photos that all serve essentially the same purpose.
Instead, I like to think about creating different types of looks.
The Authority Look
This is your polished, professional outfit.
Depending on your style and industry, that might include:
- A blazer
- A structured dress
- Tailored trousers
- A button-down shirt
- A polished blouse
- Professional heels, flats, or loafers
These images work beautifully for LinkedIn, your website’s About page, speaking engagements, press features, proposals, and other places where you want to establish credibility.
The Personality Look
This is where we can have a little more fun.
Consider incorporating:
- A pop of color
- Your brand colors
- A statement jacket
- Interesting textures
- Bold accessories
- A piece that feels distinctly like you
These photos can be great for social media, marketing campaigns, website content, and anywhere you want more of your personality to come through.
The Elevated Casual Look
Not every branding image needs to feel formal.
In fact, having a more casual option can make your overall gallery much more useful.
Think:
- Great-fitting jeans
- An elevated basic top
- A casual jacket or cardigan
- Clean sneakers
- Flats
- Relaxed layers
These images can create a more approachable side of your brand and work especially well for social media, blog content, behind-the-scenes marketing, and more conversational parts of your website.
The important thing to remember is that different doesn’t have to mean disconnected.
Every outfit should still feel like the same person and the same brand.
3. Choose Your Colors Intentionally
Color can completely change the feel of an image.
When choosing what to wear for a branding photoshoot, think beyond which colors simply look good on you.
Consider how those colors will interact with:
- Your brand colors
- Your website
- Your session location
- Your backgrounds
- Your marketing materials
You don’t necessarily need to wear your exact brand colors.
In fact, sometimes the opposite works better.
If your branding already uses several bold colors, neutral wardrobe options may create balance. If your overall brand aesthetic is very neutral, one colorful outfit can give you a completely different set of images to use when you want more personality.
We’ll also want to think about the backgrounds we’re using during your session. Wearing a color that’s nearly identical to the background can cause you to blend in when that isn’t the intended look.
The goal is cohesion—not perfect color matching.
4. Prioritize Fit, Structure, and Comfort
An outfit can look great standing in front of your bedroom mirror and behave very differently once you start moving in front of the camera.
Fit matters.
Pay attention to things like:
- How the shoulders of a jacket sit
- Whether a neckline stays in place
- How sleeves fall
- Whether pants bunch when you sit
- Whether buttons pull
- How fabric lays when you move
- Whether you’re constantly adjusting something
Structure can also photograph beautifully because it creates clean lines and shape.
But comfort matters just as much.
If you’re wearing something you’re afraid to move in, constantly pulling at your shirt, or wondering whether something is sitting correctly, you’re going to spend part of your session thinking about your clothes instead of connecting with the camera.
If you’re uncomfortable in an outfit, it will usually show.
Choose pieces that make you feel confident and allow you to move naturally.
5. Be Strategic With Patterns, Logos, and Trends
You’ve probably heard the advice that you should never wear patterns for professional photos.
I don’t think it needs to be that strict.
Patterns can absolutely work in branding photography when they’re intentional and make sense for your style.
That said, be cautious with:
- Very small or busy patterns
- Oversized logos
- Distracting graphics
- Extremely bold prints
- Pieces that are highly trend-driven
The question isn’t necessarily, “Can I wear this?”
It’s:
“Will this add to the image or compete with me?”
Your clothing should support your brand—not become the first thing someone notices.
And because branding images may stay on your website or marketing materials for several years, it’s worth considering whether an extremely trendy piece will still feel like you six months from now.
6. Use Layers and Accessories to Create More Variety
You don’t always need an entirely new outfit to create a different look.
Layers and accessories are one of the easiest ways to get more variety from your branding session.
For example, we could photograph the same base outfit:
- Without a jacket
- With a blazer
- With different jewelry
- With a cardigan or casual jacket
- With different shoes
Suddenly, one outfit can give us several different looks without requiring a complete wardrobe change.
Consider bringing:
- Blazers
- Jackets
- Cardigans
- Belts
- Jewelry
- Glasses
- Different shoe options
- Other accessories that are already part of your personal style
Accessories should still feel natural to you.
If you never wear statement jewelry in real life, your branding session probably isn’t the time to suddenly become someone who does.
Remember: we’re creating an elevated representation of you, not inventing a character for the camera.
7. Don’t Forget the Little Details
The camera notices more than you might think.
Once you’ve planned the main outfits, go back and look at the details.
Think about:
- Shoes
- Jewelry
- Nails
- Hair
- Undergarments
- Socks if they’ll be visible
- Wrinkles
- Lint
- Clothing tags
- Straps
- Buttons and zippers
These aren’t things you need to obsess over, but taking a few minutes to think about them beforehand can make your session run much more smoothly.
I also recommend bringing a small touch-up kit with things like:
- A hairbrush or comb
- Hairspray
- Lip color
- Powder
- A lint roller
- Safety pins
- Fashion tape
And don’t worry—we’ll be paying attention to these details during your session, too.
Sometimes moving one piece of hair, straightening a jacket, or adjusting a necklace is all it takes to make an image feel much more polished.
Bonus: What Else Should You Bring to a Branding Photoshoot?
Your wardrobe is only one part of planning a branding session.
Depending on your business, we may also want to incorporate props or tools that help visually tell the story of what you do.
That could include:
- A laptop or tablet
- Your phone
- A notebook or planner
- Products you sell
- Tools or equipment you use
- Books you’ve written
- Materials you use with clients
- Items that are recognizable within your industry
The key is choosing props that actually make sense.
You don’t need to bring a laptop, coffee mug, and notebook just because you’ve seen them in other people’s branding photos.
If you don’t actually work that way, we don’t need to pretend you do.
The best branding photos feel believable because they’re connected to your real business.
Planning a Branding Session? Start Here.
If you’re starting to think about new branding photos, I’ve created a Branding Guide to help you prepare for your session.
Inside, you’ll find additional information to help you think through your photos, prepare for the experience, and make the most of your branding session.
Download my Branding Guide here.
And if you’re ready to create a fresh library of professional images for your business, let’s start planning.
Click HERE to book a consultation and find the branding session that’s right for you.
Tara Flannery is a Certified Professional Photographer (CPP), Photographic Craftsman, and Master of Photography based in Houston, TX. Tara Flannery Photography specializes in personal branding and corporate branding. See more branding images in the gallery. Contact me to book your branding session today!
