The Black and White Decision: A Considered Approach to Professional Headshots
There's a certain mystique surrounding black and white photography. Strip away the color, some say, and you reveal the soul. Add a monochrome filter, others insist, and suddenly you're Ansel Adams. We've heard it all in our Minneapolis studio—usually right before someone asks if we can "just make it black and white" as an afterthought.
Here's the thing: we can do that. But should we? And more importantly, should you?
At Excalibur Portraits, we typically work with color that stands out and grabs attention. The signature lighting in our Minneapolis studio is designed to make you pop, to create images that command presence in a crowded LinkedIn feed or a packed conference program. But we also recognize that black and white has its place—a very specific, intentional place—for creating a particular mood and telling your story in a distinctive way.
The key word here is intentional. When we know a client needs black and white headshots, we don't just desaturate a color image and call it a day. We plan the entire session differently, from lighting ratios to wardrobe choices, to capitalize on what monochrome photography does best.
Let's explore why this decision matters more than you might think.
The Psychology of Monochrome: What Black and White Really Communicates
When someone views your headshot, their brain makes dozens of snap judgments in milliseconds. Color certainly plays a role in those assessments—so what happens when you remove color from the equation?
The absence of color shifts attention. Without chromatic information to process, viewers focus more intently on contrast, texture, form, and—most crucially—your expression. Research on visual perception suggests that black and white imagery can enhance the perception of timelessness and gravitas. There's a reason historical photographs feel weighty: monochrome has become cognitively associated with permanence, tradition, and seriousness.
For executives and legal professionals, this can communicate: "I am established. I am not chasing trends. I am focused on substance." It removes visual noise and creates what we might call "compressed authority"—all the elements that matter, none that don't.
Industry Considerations: When Black and White Works (And When It Doesn't)
In our years photographing Minneapolis's professional community, we've noticed distinct patterns in who benefits most from black and white headshots.
Where black and white often excels:
Law firms and financial services: Industries built on trust and tradition often benefit from the gravitas of monochrome. Managing partners at established firms frequently choose black and white to project seasoned wisdom.
Executive leadership: C-suite professionals sometimes use black and white to differentiate themselves visually from their teams while maintaining cohesion with company branding.
Authors and thought leaders: When you're selling ideas rather than products, black and white can position you as contemplative and serious about your craft.
Where black and white may work against you:
Tech startups and creative agencies: Industries that thrive on innovation and energy often need color to communicate vibrancy and forward-thinking.
Sales and business development: When approachability and warmth are your calling cards, color often serves you better.
Healthcare and wellness: Professionals in these fields typically want to project warmth, care, and human connection—qualities that color conveys more readily.
Anywhere that color photos are the overwhelming norm: Standing out is valuable only if you're standing out in a way that enhances rather than undermines your professional objectives.
The question isn't whether black and white is "professional".. The question is whether it serves your specific professional narrative.
The Technical Reality: Why "Just Remove the Color" Doesn't Work
Here's where we get a bit technical, because this matters tremendously.
When we plan for black and white, we're thinking differently from the moment you walk through our door. Here's why:
Lighting becomes paramount. In color photography, we can use subtle color temperature differences and complementary hues to create depth and dimension. In black and white, we rely entirely on tonal relationships—the interplay of highlights, midtones, and shadows. We might use harder, more directional lighting to create stronger contrast, or softer, more enveloping light to create a gentle, gradational range of grays. These aren't decisions we can effectively make in post-production.
Wardrobe choices shift dramatically. That burgundy suit that looks powerful in color? In black and white, it might read as nearly identical to your brown hair, creating a visual blob. We need to think about tonal contrast—how your clothing separates from your skin tone and the background. Patterns that work beautifully in color can become distracting moire effects in monochrome. Textures that barely register in color suddenly become prominent visual elements.
Skin tone rendering requires expertise. Different skin tones convert to grayscale differently. What creates a natural, healthy look in black and white for one person might make another appear washed out or overly dramatic. Professional black and white conversion isn't a single slider—it involves careful channel mixing and tonal adjustments that respect the unique characteristics of your complexion.
Background considerations change completely. Studio backgrounds that create energy in color images might look muddy or compete with your presence in monochrome. For black and white, we typically use backgrounds that allow for strong tonal separation.
The biggest misconception we encounter? That black and white is simply a desaturated version of a color image. As we've noted in our articles about professional headshot quality, the difference between adequate and exceptional lies in the details. Black and white requires its own expertise, its own planning, its own vision—not just a button click in editing software.
Platform Performance: Where Black and White Lives
In today's multi-platform professional world, your headshot rarely lives in just one place. Understanding how black and white performs across different contexts can inform your decision.
LinkedIn: Black and white headshots can work exceptionally well here, particularly if your industry skews traditional. They often stand out in the feed without looking out of place. However, be aware that LinkedIn's algorithm and user expectations favor polished, contemporary imagery—vintage-filtered selfies need not apply.
Company websites: Here brand consistency matters most. A single black and white corporate headshot can look like an error in a sea of color imagery, but if monochrome is used across the board, you've created a cohesive visual identity. Context is everything.
Conference materials and speaking engagements: Black and white performs strongly here. It reproduces well in print, maintains impact when reduced in size, and tends to photograph well when audience members capture your bio slide on their phones.
Email signatures: The small size of signature photos often benefits from the clarity that strong contrast provides. Black and white can be highly effective here.
Professional publications and media: Many print publications still convert images to grayscale for cost reasons. If media coverage is part of your professional strategy, having a strong black and white option ensures you control the conversion rather than leaving it to someone else's automated process.
What the Experts Say: Professional Guidance on Making the Choice
We're photographers, not brand consultants (though after thousands of sessions, we've learned a thing or two). But we consistently hear similar guidance from the marketing professionals, executive coaches, and brand strategists we work with:
Start with Story. Choose black and white because how you look tells people about who you are.
Test your context. Look at where your headshot will actually appear. If you're the only black and white image on a page of color photos, you're either the sophisticated standout or the odd person out. Which one depends on everything else about the image.
Have both options. Nothing says you must choose exclusively. Many of our clients maintain both a color and a black and white version for different contexts. Just ensure both are professionally produced with intentionality, not one being a hastily converted version of the other.
Making Your Decision: A Practical Framework
So you're sitting in front of your computer, ready to book your headshot session. Should you request black and white?
Ask yourself these questions:
What is the primary emotional response I want to elicit? Trust and wisdom? Energy and innovation? Approachability and warmth? Sophistication and gravitas? Different qualities are more readily communicated through different approaches.
What visual environment will my headshot inhabit? Will you be surrounded by color images or monochrome? Will you be the anomaly or part of a cohesive aesthetic?
What does my industry expect? Not to follow trends blindly, but to understand the visual language of your professional community.
Am I choosing this for the right reasons? "I think I look better in black and white" is a valid starting point. "This serves my brand positioning and professional objectives" is a more solid foundation.
Have I discussed this with my photographer? A conversation before your session allows your photographer to plan appropriately. Requesting black and white after the fact limits what's possible.
The Excalibur Approach: Intentionality Over Afterthought
When we know a client wants black and white, everything changes. We study your features in our lighting setup and adjust accordingly. We guide wardrobe choices with monochrome in mind. We consider background options that will create the right tonal separation. We might even change our posing slightly to open up to light or create interesting shadows.
This is what we mean by intentionality. Black and white isn't an Instagram filter or a preset button. It's a deliberate creative choice that should inform every aspect of your session.
And yes, we work primarily with color because we believe vibrant, eye-catching imagery serves most professionals' needs in today's visual marketplace. But when black and white is the right choice—when it serves your story, your brand, your professional trajectory—we embrace that choice completely and execute it at the highest level.
The Verdict: There Is No Verdict
We started this article with questions, and we're ending without definitive answers—by design. The choice between color and black and white isn't a problem with a single solution. It's a decision that requires you to understand your professional context, your brand positioning, your industry expectations, and your personal objectives.
What we can tell you definitively: either choice can be executed brilliantly or poorly. The format matters far less than the expertise, planning, and intentionality behind it.
If you're an executive in a traditional industry seeking to project established wisdom, black and white might serve you beautifully. If you're a marketing professional in a creative field needing to convey energy and innovation, color likely fits better. And if you're somewhere in between—as most professionals are—the answer depends on a dozen variables unique to you.
That's the conversation we have with every client at Excalibur Portraits. Not "color or black and white?" but "what story are we telling, and which approach tells it most effectively?"
Because ultimately, whether your headshot is rendered in full color or in shades of gray, what matters most is that it captures something true about who you are and what you bring to your professional world. That's the real distinction between a merely adequate headshot and a truly legendary one.
If you are a Minneapolis professional who is ready to create a headshot that tells your unique professional story—whether in vibrant color or timeless monochrome? Visit minnesotaheadshots.com/book-now to begin the Excalibur Portraits experience. Let's have a conversation about what approach serves your professional objectives best.
Written by: Dan Mutterer - Dan is a professional headshot photographer in Minneapolis who has progressed from being a hobbyist photographing his kids to now being among the best headshot photographers in Minnesota. After winning a few awards and accolades in amateur contests, Dan engaged for a brief time consulting on art in the public space before starting his business photographing homes for sale. In 2021, after a session with one of the nation’s premier headshot gurus, Dan made the switch to headshots and got to work in the studio. He is now sought after by some of the biggest corporations and top CEOs.
