Personal Branding – Use Pure White For Clean, Pure, Simplicity

Having a gradient background works well for many professionals, but sometimes a clean pure white is fantastic for some brands. When should you choose pure white for your headshot?

What is Pure White?

Pure white is the white of paper, or the white of the empty space on your website. Pure white is pure brightness, it has no texture, no feel. It’s basically nothingness. It doesn’t exist in real life, and must be created with lighting and editing. It’s different from having a white wall, which appears off-white.

Why Pure White for Headshots?

White has been used in corporate headshots for decades. Before digital, pure white or off white was the standard for business portraits, and you may remember with passport photos.

A pure white headshot also great for printed materials, as the white matches the paper color. If you have proposals or CVs, this may be a great choice for you.

It also means when you place your headshot and portrait on your website, there is no outline separating the photograph and the background of your site. This makes design easy for your webmaster.

White Headshots for Consistency

Another reason white is popular for headshots is the repeatability. While it’s hard to capture the exact shade of a color time and time again, pure white can be done by any headshot photographer at any time.

If you have staff all over Australia, you can get a consistent look across all offices.

When you get new staff, your photographer can capture headshots that are consistent with existing shots.

What Does White Say About Your Business?

White is a color signifying purity, cleaniness, and simplicity. It could also be sophisticated depending on how you style the rest of your website.

White headshots are great for businesses wanting to show these qualities, for example the health industry. It’s particularly good for medical and dental clinics.

It’s also good for brands that have a positive, fun vibe. It’s uplifting yet elegant.

Disadvantages of Pure White

White headshots have been used for decades, and is also the default for many companies. If not done well, your headshot may look like just another one in the crowd.

Another thing is, a poorly executed headshot on white will look like a passport photo. This is why it’s important to choose a quality headshot photographer for your business brand.

Pure white also has no context. Anyone can do it, and some businesses put all their overseas call center staff on their team page to try to look big.

If you want to show that you have real staff on the ground, and a real presence in the city, you may want to get some headshots with office background to complement these. Showing some context will help build trust in your brand.

How To Use Your Headshots/Portraits On White

Our photo sessions include half and full body shots.

These allow you to select the right photograph for each purpose. A headshot is great for grabbing attention, but maybe on your website a half body shot works well as a banner.

You can easily imagine full body branding photos used for things like book covers, posters, and other large impact statements. These show your authority, leadership, and confidence, while staying friendly and approachable. Your clients can easily imagine you helping them with a fantastic solution to their problems.

Do Different With White

Pure white doesn’t mean you have to look the same as everyone else. We also created these more dynamic looks in our Sydney studio. The contrast of light and dark against a white background really capture the viewer’s attention. Imagine these used for an editorial, or for your lead magnets. Very powerful.

Get A Brand That Stands Out With Executive Images

As you can see, whether you choose to do your branding photographs in studio or outdoors is entirely up to you. It’s about conveying the right message to your viewers, in a way that matches your brand and marketing.

Pure white is something that can be timeless and sophisticated if executed well – and we can help you do that.

Executive Images helps you look amazing at your Branding Photography session at our Coogee studio. We help you connect with your audience, in a strong, professional way. Contact us now and let us help you make your best first impression.