I help each client choose an outfit for the photoshoot when I take portraits of them. Choosing jewellery to wear for photos is a step in the process. This is challenging a lot of the time because it’s difficult to predict whether a piece of jewellery will complement the neckline, overwhelm the outfit, or perhaps even cause issues when the wearer moves around.
What to do when you’re just not sure if a necklace is really working, some general necklace guidelines for choosing jewellery for portraits, and which pieces go best with which necklines, are all covered in this post.
using a black outfit and a long gold necklace for headshots. Dan Cantero in Australia created this studio portrait.
General Necklace Advice for Portrait Photography:
- Keep it simple by wearing timeless, understated jewellery.
- Make sure your jewellery is spotless, polished, and free of too many fingerprints because dust and smudges are visible in photographs.
- Avoid mixing metals; stick to gold or silver/platinum, but not the two at once. Even though it occasionally works, it’s usually best to stick with just one metal (unless mixing metals is your thing!).
- Don’t rely on eyeballing it; instead, try necklaces on with the top you’ve chosen to determine whether the look works or not!
- Make sure the colour of any coloured stones in your jewellery matches the colours in your outfit if there are any; avoid wearing clashing colours.
I always advise you to include significant objects in your portraits. No matter how it looks, if you have a necklace that you wear every day and was given to you by a special someone, you should wear it for pictures!
- Necklaces that look best with V-neck styles
One of the most attractive shapes for tops and dresses is a V-neckline. However, wearing a necklace with a V-neck can occasionally be challenging. Make sure the necklace you choose can be seen clearly through the neckline hole. Either a short, rounded form or a V-shaped necklace that follows the neckline looks great! The length is important in this case; you need approximately an inch of space above your clothing. However, use your eyes first; if the necklace doesn’t seem right with the dress you choose, it’s usually preferable to choose something else.
V-neck outfit and triangular gold necklaces for photographs for personal branding. For headshots in Australia I wore a white v-neck shirt and a short circular necklace. Dan Cantero corporate headshot Sydney in Australia,, took this studio headshot.
highest-quality necklaces for high collars
Choose longer necklaces that can completely extend on their own if your shirt has a boat or crew neckline that comes in quite high. Make sure your jewellery extends over the top of your shirt and completely clears your neckline. A necklace that is too short can catch on your clothing’s neckline and eventually wind up inside your shirt, where it will be hidden and become unattractive. It may also twist and generally create issues when being photographed.
- The ideal necklaces for deep V-necks
If your neckline is a little deeper, such as a V-neck or a loose, flowy blouse, you can choose between wearing a very long or very short necklace. It’s crucial that there be a lot of overlap when wearing longer necklaces to prevent wedging or getting caught in your shirt. Make sure you have plenty of breathing room when wearing shorter necklaces so that everything looks well-planned and organised.
- Whenever in doubt
Ensure simplicity! Jewelry is frequently unnecessary. The goal of a portrait is to highlight you, not the clothing you’re wearing. An elaborate or flashy necklace can frequently detract attention from your face and unnecessarily muddle the image’s visual consistency. Therefore, the most common solution could be to just leave the jewellery out of it and make sure that we concentrate on what’s most crucial—you!
