Backgrounds play an important role in headshot photography. They help determine the mood, feel and overall appearance of the image. Whether you’re a job seeker, wanting to put up the image on your LinkedIn profile, or a businessperson, who represents his/her brand, the right background will help convey the message to the onlookers.
Are you wondering how to choose the right background for your professional headshots? Well, an experienced headshot photography agency like Denver Headshot CO will have all the know-how of the image’s purpose and help you pick a background based on that. Let’s discuss the same in detail.
Why are backgrounds important to headshots?
Backgrounds determine the way the image is to be perceived by the audience. The different backgrounds used in photography give out different messages, feelings, and they also affect the skin tone of the model to some extent.
The factors that every headshot photographer takes into consideration while choosing a background for the image is the skin tone of the model, the outfit, the emotions evoked by the color of the background and the mood that the image is supposed to portray.
The different types of backgrounds used in headshots
5 key background colors are considered for headshots namely, white, black, grayscale, textured and natural background.
The solid white background is the most common type of setting for headshots that minimize distractions and help focus primarily on the subject. The white background headshots can help you reach out to law firms and financial agencies that require simple yet confident images to create the maximum impact.
If you want to be a little unique in your approach, you can opt for a black background for your headshot, which looks professional and highly impactful at the same time.
However, if you wish to tone down your image a bit, you can go for the grey background, which acts as a middle ground between the extremes of white and black tones.
Nature and textured backgrounds should be opted for less formal headshots, aiming to take the creativity factor a notch up.
There are some other forms of backgrounds that evoke different feelings, moods, and creativity, thus stressing the purpose of the image. These are:
- Workplace blurred backgrounds– If you want to showcase your work in the image, you should consider taking it at your place of work to create the maximum impact.
- Unicolor backgrounds – These are a substitute for the conventional white, black and grey backgrounds and add a tinge of creativity to the image without going overboard.
- Buildings and architecture– Headshots with this type of background are meant for the construction and real estate industry to lure the audience.
When you hire a reputable headshot photographer, you should let them know the purpose of the image, so they can suggest the right background for it. As you’re going to make the final decision, some basic knowledge about headshot backgrounds is necessary, and now you have it.
