What to Wear for Personal Branding Photos in New Orleans
Updated: Oct 12
What you wear for personal branding photos matters.
Your outfit affects how professional, approachable, creative, polished, or relaxed your images feel. The right clothing helps your photos look clean and useful across your website, LinkedIn, social media, speaker bio, and marketing materials.
You do not need to buy a whole new wardrobe. You need outfits that fit well, match your profession, and support the message you want your brand to send.
Here is how to plan personal branding outfits before your New Orleans branding session.
If you're planning a personal branding session and want a larger image library for your website, social media, marketing, and professional profiles, explore my New Orleans personal branding photography services → for session details, pricing, and availability.
Start With Your Profession
Different professions need different visual signals.
A realtor may want polished but approachable.
An attorney may need clean and professional.
A coach may want confident and warm.
A therapist may want calm and trustworthy.
A creative may want more personality.
A small business owner may need a mix of casual and professional.
Before choosing outfits, think about what your client needs to feel when they see your images.
Do they need to trust you?
Feel comfortable with you?
See your expertise?
Understand your personality?
Recognize your business style?
Your clothes should support that answer.
Outfit Ideas by Profession
Realtors
Realtors usually do well with polished but approachable outfits.
Good choices include:
Blazer and jeans
Blazer and slacks
Button-down shirt
Simple dress
Neutral top with clean pants
Professional but comfortable shoes
Neighborhood-friendly outfit
Avoid looking too stiff unless your market calls for a more formal style.
Attorneys and Financial Professionals
These professions usually need a more polished look.
Good choices include:
Suit
Blazer
Button-down shirt
Structured dress
Neutral colors
Clean dress shoes
Simple jewelry
The goal is credible, current, and professional.
Coaches and Consultants
Coaches and consultants can bring more personality.
Good choices include:
Smart casual blazer
Clean top and pants
Brand-color accent
Relaxed professional outfit
Laptop-friendly look
Speaking-style outfit
You want to look like someone people can trust, but also someone they can talk to.
Therapists and Wellness Professionals
These images should feel calm and approachable.
Good choices include:
Soft neutrals
Warm earth tones
Simple blouse
Cardigan
Comfortable professional outfit
Minimal jewelry
Clean, relaxed layers
Avoid anything too loud, cold, or corporate if that does not match your practice.
Creatives and Small Business Owners
Creatives and business owners can show more style.
Good choices include:
Brand-color pieces
Textured layers
Work apron or tool-based outfit
Statement accessories
Clean casual look
Professional portrait look
Behind-the-scenes working outfit
The goal is to show personality without distracting from your face or work.
Colors That Photograph Well
Colors should work with your skin tone, brand, and location.
Strong options include:
Navy
Black
White
Cream
Tan
Gray
Olive
Burgundy
Emerald
Camel
Chocolate
Soft blue
Dusty rose
Gold accents
For New Orleans personal branding photos, consider where we are shooting. A French Quarter street, CBD office, Garden District porch, studio, or workspace may all call for different colors.
Neutral colors provide versatility, but your personal branding photos don't have to be limited to black, white, beige, or gray. Rich colors such as royal blue, burgundy, emerald green, and deep plum can photograph beautifully across a range of skin tones.
If your business has established brand colors, consider incorporating them through clothing, accessories, or background details. The goal is to create images that complement your brand without making every photograph look identical.
What to Avoid
Avoid outfits that need constant fixing.
Also avoid:
Busy patterns
Large logos
Neon colors
Wrinkled clothes
Poorly fitted pieces
Too many competing colors
Heavy seasonal trends
Uncomfortable shoes
Clothes that do not match your actual work
Exception for branded clothing: If your business uses uniforms, embroidered logos, custom aprons, medical scrubs, or branded workwear, those items may be exactly what your session needs. The goal is to avoid distracting graphics, not eliminate meaningful branding or clothing that represents your profession.
If the outfit distracts from you, it is probably not the best choice.
How Many Looks to Bring
The number of outfits depends on your photography package and session goals.
Simple Branding ($450): Plan 1–2 looks for a focused 60-minute session.
Signature Branding ($750): Plan up to 3 looks during a two-hour session.
Full Branding ($1,200): Bring several coordinated options for a three-hour session. We'll select the most useful combinations based on your shot list, locations, and available time.
The goal isn't to photograph every outfit you bring. It's to create enough variety for your website, social media, marketing materials, and professional profiles.
A strong mix could include:
One polished professional look
One relaxed business look
One personality-driven look
One work/process outfit
One optional brand-color or lifestyle look
Do not bring too much without a plan. The goal is variety, not clutter.
Grooming and Prep Tips
Small details matter.
Before your session:
Steam or iron clothes
Try everything on
Check fit while sitting and standing
Clean shoes
Bring lint roller
Get hair shaped or styled if needed
Keep jewelry simple
Moisturize skin
Avoid trying a new skincare product right before
Bring backup options
For business owners, make sure your workspace is clean if we are shooting on location. Hide clutter, organize desks, clean windows, and remove anything you do not want in the background.
How Outfits Affect the Final Image Library
Your outfits help create variety.
A blazer can work for LinkedIn and website photos. A casual outfit can work for social media. A work/process outfit can help explain what you do. A brand-color piece can make your images feel more connected to your business.
The more intentional your outfits are, the more useful the final gallery becomes.
For website banners and social media graphics, I also consider how your clothing will appear in different image crops. Solid colors and clean silhouettes can work well when photographs need extra space for text, while textured layers and accessories can add variety to closer portraits. Planning these combinations before the session helps create a more useful collection of photographs for your business.
For more inspiration, explore my Personal Branding Photo Ideas for Realtors, Coaches, and Small Business Owners guide.
Final Advice
Choose clothing that feels like the polished version of you.
Not a costume. Not someone else’s brand. Not what you think you are supposed to wear.
Your personal branding photos should help people recognize you, trust you, and understand what kind of professional experience they can expect.
Book Personal Branding Photography in New Orleans
If you are planning a personal branding session in New Orleans, I can help you choose outfits, plan the location, and build a shot list that fits your profession.
Send your business type, location idea, and where you plan to use the images.
Ready to plan your branding session? Contact Chad Populis Photography with your profession, preferred date, website or social media profile, and the types of images you need. I'll help you choose the right package, outfit combinations, and locations for your personal brand.
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