Headshots That Work: Why A.I. Should Never be Your Choice

You can hardly scroll through social media these days, without encountering waves of ads promising  “Your Best Headshot in Seconds” with just a selfie! The rise of A.I. manipulation is everywhere, across all media, and we trust in that reality just a little less and less every day as a result. But they “look so good,” and cost nearly nothing, so why not? Because in order to get Headshots that work, A.I. Should Never be Your Choice. It’s RIGHT THERE in the name of the darn thing… “Artificial.” There ya go. The OPPOSITE of “authentic.”

A LOT of the most important reasons to pass on A.I. headshots start with integrity. Most people that might consider hiring you, dating you, and doing business with you, really want you to be someone they can trust. If the first thing you do is deceive them, the optics on that move are pretty poo r for the rest of your relationship. A.I. may look a bit like you, or even a “lot” like you, but it’s NOT you. It’s you “enhanced,” “new * improved,” made just a bit more attractive, more appealing, more photogenic, and usually, done in a slick, surprising way you wouldn’t think most people would notice, or “feel,” but yes, they do.

People are getting sensitized to A.I. images, A.I. video content, and it’s immediately off-putting to lots of folks who feel like someone, maybe YOU, are trying to fool them. People are quickly getting good at spotting fakes, things enhanced and “improved,” and it’s not attractive or appealing, in fact, job seekers beware, it’s just the opposite.

Here’s the other major factor. A high-quality, experienced professional photographer, like we offer at Geoffrey Donne Photography, brings a huge amount of expertise, value, and skills to a photo session, and therefore, to YOU. None of it involves trickery or deception. Sure, you can Photoshop anyone to look years younger, pounds lighter, to have a slightly better hairline or a better look in business clothes… you know what A.I. CANNOT do? Help you relax. Build comfort and trust with you, help you feel your very best and therefore, LOOK your very best. People form connections with great portraits and headshots, because they get an authentic sense of who that person is, and what it would be like to meet them in person. 

THAT is the power of a great professional headshot or personal branding photoshoot, and A.I. will never, ever be able to accomplish that warmth, connection, or relatability, because it isn’t a fellow human being, sitting right across from you, working with you, playing the right music, asking the right questions, building your confidence and bringing out your strengths, and minimizing your weaknesses… then pressing the shutter at just the right moment

THAT is the great power of a professional headshot session or personal branding photoshoot, and A.I. will never, ever be able to accomplish that warmth, connection, or relatability, because it isn’t a fellow human being, sitting right across from you, working with you, playing the right music, asking the right questions, building your confidence and bringing out your strengths, and minimizing your weaknesses… then pressing the shutter at just the right moment

So use A.I. for a cute avatar on your social media, use it to turn your pet into a cartoon, absolutely, but when it comes to making professional tools designed to improve your career, your love life, your image, or anything else that matters deeply, and relies on authenticity… the human being on the other side of a camera, a living, breathing, feeling human who has your back and can help empower you in photographs that will impact your future, that artist… is still your very best investment.