We Create Professional photos
How to dress for a business session
Good image in business
Creation of a business image, i.e. how to dress for work and how to dress for a business session to look professional?
The creation of a professional business image is a field of practice, until recently only available to a very small group of people occupying the highest positions in corporations or diplomatic services.
Currently, in more and more companies and institutions there is a need to manage their own image and the awareness of the power of its impact on the external environment.
We have never seen such pressure on creating the image of people and companies before.
Not only board members and employees of international corporations or large domestic companies should take care of their business image, but also presidents, managers, entrepreneurs and, finally, employees.
The benefits of maintaining a proper business image may be reflected in typically financial terms. They also reach the intangible dimension and take place in the minds of the participants of the company’s environment.
The prestige resulting from a good image brings long-term effects.
The sense of taking care of the image in business
The first impression is priceless
Taking care of the image simply makes sense and it is worth investing both time, effort and financial resources into it. A favorable image can become a key success factor in personal and business development.
In the times of social media – more people will have a chance to form a first impression, i.e. a strong, emotional and lasting image that we create about a person when looking at our photo on Linkedin or the company’s website – than by meeting us in person.
Dresscode is an important part of the business image – so how to dress for the session?
Business photography – clothes
How to dress for sessions – general rules
- We avoid a large amount of white and completely black parts of clothing, in print they will appear like a black stain, devoid of details.
- You should dress in those things in which you feel at ease and natural, but within the “dress code”. Otherwise, during the session, we will feel additionally embarrassed and tense, and the clothes will be disturbing.
- Both in men’s and women’s outfits, you should not combine several fabric patterns or more than three colors.
- We avoid small patterns for technical reasons, interference may occur during digital image recording and printing.
- If glasses are used, the glasses should not be dark / photochromatic / tinted. The lenses of the glasses must be perfectly clean.
- If the photos are to be used together or they will be group photos – then you need to agree on something in relation to the colors of all outfits and work out an average. Maybe it does not sound best for the management board to agree on what to wear, but it is better than the president in a pink shirt and a vice president in a green suit … – it is worth choosing safe colors, i.e. – gray, navy blue, blue, graphite.
Business photography – what to wear?
How to dress for an image session – for men:
- Suits, preferably smooth – the best colors will be: graphite, anthracite, gray, navy blue, blue, dark brown.
- Good quality, properly fitted to the figure. Let’s focus on simplicity and timelessness.
- Single-breasted jacket – a man in a single-breasted jacket looks much more relaxed and modern.
In addition, such a jacket slims and slims the figure, looks good both fastened and unbuttoned. - Rather single-color shirts (blue, gray, pretty pink, not necessarily snow-white), thin, elegant, classic, without checks and stripes (interfering), if they have to be any, it is important not to be too small.
- Good to have at least 2 ties and a few matching ties. The shirt must not be too tight, it must not be too loose, it must allow freedom of movement and fit well under a jacket (a white shirt is not suitable for everyday wear. This type of shirt is reserved for special occasions and elegant ceremonies. with a black suit),
- When selecting accessories for a suit, you can simultaneously combine up to three colors and two patterns, no more.
- A tie is an important part of a business wardrobe, complementing it in a peculiar way. In business photos, it adds seriousness, emphasizes professionalism and the level of competence. A tie should be an individual, trend-free choice of a man, it should express his own style, sense of aesthetics and personality, but at the same time it must match the color of the suit and shirt. The end of a correctly tied tie should reach the belt of the trouser. Without too dense patterns. Of course, plain colors work perfectly in this case.
- A watch is, in addition to glasses, cuff and tie clips and wedding rings, the only acceptable form of men’s ornaments used at work.
- Belt and shoes, possibly a briefcase and a watch strap – should be of the same color. If someone wears glasses, they should harmonize with the belt buckle, it is good if also with the watch (i.e. silver or gold).
- Glasses are part of the “jewelry” and must be very sensible and elegant, if we have several frames, let’s take them to the sessions.
- In formal attire, unless someone is a world-famous designer or Santa Claus, one should not charge with originality.
Feminine business dresscode
Building a professional business image, clothes for ladies:
- Coquetry and over-emphasizing femininity in the business sphere are inadvisable, the following should be avoided:
- exposed shoulders, back, stomach, too large cleavage,
- covering your face with loose hair,
- transparent and shiny fabrics,
- flashy, bright colors,
- all kinds of dreadlocks, braids, extravagant asymmetrical cuts, shaved surfaces of the head, bright balayages, non-standard colors are unacceptable, colorful ribbons, bows and beads woven into the hair are undesirable.
- The starting point is the separation of the private sphere from the business sphere. The outfit is considered to be more business-like the less it communicates information about a person’s private sphere. Women have quite limited room for maneuver in choosing the right business attire. A woman’s outfit must, first of all, correspond to her business role, without clearly emphasizing female charms.
- The colors are the same as for men, i.e. no madness – gray, navy blue, blue, graphite, violet, pink, blue. Similarly with patterns of materials. Everything must be subdued. Simple styles, every lady should know as much as her figure allows.
- A suit is an outfit consisting of a jacket and a skirt. Like a suit, a suit is a very elegant piece of clothing, emphasizing professionalism and suitable for business women. A suit can also be described as a safe, neutral and privacy-friendly garment. Its cut should be classic, simple, elegant, but also feminine. In the case of all types of jackets, avoid too fancy cuts and patterns on fabrics, excess plastic buttons or zippers.
- Shirts – It’s worth knowing that white shirts are only suitable for special occasions, otherwise they will look schooly and boring.
- We put tops (in the set with the jacket – very photogenic) on the straps only when we are sure that we will stay in the jacket all the time,
- The shoes are rather full, it is good if they were not red stilettos with a 10-centimeter heel. Knee-length skirts, blouses that cover the shoulders, nude tights.
- When choosing jewelry, moderation is recommended, both in form and quantity. Avoid large, massive and very fancy jewelry, because in the photos all this starts to glow and distracts attention unnecessarily.
- Make-up – preferably without, because a make-up artist has to apply a business make-up from scratch. It is a daily / business make-up, but stronger than the usual one and in normal light it may look too strong, but during a photo session such make-up gives the best results.
- The hairstyle is an important complement to the outfit and a very visible element of the image of a business woman, which is paid special attention. The length and color of the hair, as well as the type of hairdo, convey a strong non-verbal message. An expressive, extravagant hairstyle with a strong, intense color proves decisiveness. On the other hand, a smooth hairstyle, classic cut and subdued colors close to natural are an expression of gentleness, peace and order.
