Elevate Your Headshots with the Right Backdrop
What is the best color to use for backdrops? This is something I get asked a lot. Well, it depends. It depends on the message you want to send with your headshots. How do you want to be seen? What are your brand colors? The classic, white, grey and black are solid choices that most outfits will look great against. They’re super easy for web and graphic designers to cut you out and put you on something else.
In this post I’ll look at three different options that I use frequently with my clients. Grey, white and the good ol outdoors.
Headshots with Grey backdrops
Grey is a classic look. It works great with most outfit choices and helps really keep the focus on you.
Grey keeps a classic look where the focus is on you
It creates a nice contrast with most skin tones
It provides a clean, sophisticated look, great for almost any industry
In my studio we can control just how the grey the backdrop gets by adjusting how far we are from the backdrop. So, if you like a lighter shade, no problem, want to go all black or anywhere in between, no problem.
When considering backdrop colors, think about what to wear for your headshot.
Headshots With A White Backdrop
White is a great option if you want to go for the brighter look. These are used a lot in the medical and healthcare field. White can create some pop especially if you have colorful outfits. This one is a favorite with actors.
It all comes down to the tone you want to create with your branding. If you want a more corporate, serious tone, darker backdrops are the better choice. If you want a brighter tone with more contrast and pop, white could be a better choice.
Environmental Backdrops For Headshots
Environmental headshots are a great choice for some completely different reasons than the white or grey.
Environmental backdrops can give context to where you work
They can create interesting backdrops
Blurring out the background can give a more creative vibe
These are common choices for real estate agents, medical or health care teams that want to add warmth to their photos and political headshots. One thing to watch out for and take into consideration is time of year. If you’re going for consistency across all your visual branding, you’ll need to time your headshot sessions around the same time of year. No one wants to be outside when it’s 10 degrees and trying to look happy!
Out of the box colors
Every now and then I get a client that wants to really stand out from everyone else and we go with a really cool color. Trey is an actor and has a very specific character that he’s known for. Since the color scheme around that character is yellow, we went with a bright yellow backdrop. This isn’t for everyone, it’s a pretty specific color choice, but, that’s the fun of it, try it and see how it looks!
Vivian wanted to elevate her headshots with a pop of color on the backdrop. We shot a few different colors and landed with this pink drop. It really helps create some contrast and it definitely matches her personality.
At the end of the day, the most important part of your headshot is you! Your face, and your expression. I’ve shot headshots against a lot of different colors, outdoor backdrops and even a set of 4 dumpsters stack up! With the background blurred, you’d never know. So, I like to say, backdrops don’t matter, connection does. I hope this helps make things easier when you’re deciding on what color you’d like to shoot with. In my studio it takes no time to change colors so come in and shoot as many as you’d like. You might be suprised.