We have all seen folks using AI-generated headshots or those clinging to outdated photos. I see a lot of fun face filters on TikTok and Facebook - but that’s just not professional. While a quick "fix" that makes you feel and look 20 years younger and 50 pounds lighter might be tempting, these tactics usually backfire. Your headshot is often the first point of contact with potential clients and collaborators, setting the tone for your entire professional presence.

“I see clients who equate coming to the studio for a headshot with a trip to the dentist...A beautiful woman in her 50s recently came into the studio for updated headshots. The session went well, though she struggled through her selections. She saw “too many wrinkles.” She looked “tired.” Her hair was “fried.” ...she had difficulty finding a single image she liked. She pulled out her phone and showed me the headshot she’d been using, “See how this photo doesn’t look retouched?” she said. Side by side, the difference was clear. The headshot she valued, while beautiful, was 17 years old and it was the only image she’d been using all that time. She saw it as who she was. The photos I took looked like her, but her brain rejected the premise because she appeared 17 years older.”

— How Old Headshots Lie by KIRA DERRYBERRY, M.PHOTOG.CR., CPP : bit.ly/KiraDerryberryPPa

Think about it this way: if you schedule a consultation or speaking engagement based on a heavily manipulated headshot, wouldn't it be jarring for potential clients to meet you in person and find you look entirely different- or not be able to find you in? This disconnect creates confusion and damages your professional image. It is SO awkward to start a meeting with “Oh wow, you don’t look like your photo” eek! A real headshot doesn’t have people scrutinizing to see if it is fake. You want them to scan your headshot in 3 seconds, note that you took the time, effort, and were committed to presenting a professional image and THEN scrutinize your resume and portfolio!

“Besides the fact that I look like a cartoon person (see hands, eyes, and skin), I paid $29 for these photos that are A) Extremely unflattering in angle, facial shape, and body shape and B) Still mostly look like they were taken at a wedding/engagement party, so aren’t very professional. I received about 30 photos, and can’t upload them all here. But there is not a single one that is even remotely possible to use online.” - Dan St Louis

AI Headshots: The Future Or Dangerous Fad by Dan St Louis

People can spot a fake picture a mile away, they just know even if they don’t know why. Using AI or outdated portraits senda clear message: dishonesty. Or just “weird”. It’s fine and fun for Facebook, but your new AI filter is not for sharing with bosses, colleagues, or especially potential clients you want to trust you! Consider that a recent study by the University of California, Berkeley found that exposure to deepfakes – including AI-generated headshots – significantly kills trust.

“Using a picture that isn’t of you damages your credibility. People do business with people. Using fake images makes it harder for us to connect as humans - and will make it even harder to know if we’re doing business with who we thought we were. ”

— AI headshots undermine your integrity, authenticity and humanity by Lisa Riemers : bit.ly/LisaRiemersLinkedIn

Not that I am going to send you out into the world with flat passports photos- professional retouching is absolutely essential. A skilled photographer like myself can enhance your natural beauty, eliminate minor imperfections, and ensure your headshot flatters your features. Retouching can make you look and feel your best without unrealistic and frankly cheesy or uncanny valley AI pictures. Photoshop is a gift, but you want to look your best and remain real not plastic. There's a world of difference between a flattering retouch and a completely fabricated image.

Building trust is so important when beginning a successful business relationship. Showing off an AI picture or one 15 years old, even if it appeals to your inner critic, essentially tells potential clients they can't rely on you for authenticity. Or maybe that you are kinda delusional or kinda vain. Sorry! But depending on what you are looking for in a new job to a big client fake photos definitely undermine your credibility.

“Headshots are more than just professional portraits; they are a pivotal tool in shaping how individuals are perceived by potential clients, employers, and colleagues. In business, where transactions are about products or services and personal connections, an effective headshot can be the difference between a missed opportunity and a successful partnership.”

— Denver Headshot Co. : https://www.denverheadshotco.com/psychology-of-effective-headshots/

You are your brand. Embrace your unique qualities, your experience, and your location. A professional headshot that showcases the real you – with the help of some expert retouching – will give far more positive attention than an artificial one.

So you want to project an image of confidence, approachability, and honesty but maybe you don’t feel so confident about your appearance…that describes 99.999% of everybody I have ever met.

I will help you! We all get self-conscious and worried, we all suffer from Imposter Syndrome. Someone who doesn’t seem to is either better at projecting it or they believed It Until they became it!

“Neither AI or virtual headshots can come anywhere close to matching the quality of what a good photographer can produce. It’s just there is a lot of publicity around AI that people fall for the gimmicky AI headshot service as the new fad to do. This example from Headshotpro, the People Appear to Be Staring Off into the Abyss, Rather Than Making Eye Contact with the Viewer, Making Them Appear More Mannequin-Like than Human. That's One Problem While the Other is the Photos are "Soft" or Slightly Blurred, Probably on Purpose to Hide Imperfections.” By The Light Committee

“A policy of honesty may not always seem like the best idea in what can oftentimes be perceived as a cutthroat business environment. But honesty and transparency are ultimately vital for lasting business relationships.

These traits are key to gaining loyal, lifelong customers. While dishonesty may seem to provide some short-term benefits, if you want long-term success, honesty is always the best policy.”

— The Role Of Honesty In Success by Kate Vitasek Senior Contributor Forbes

Choose honesty and success over a distorted unhealthy perception of your attractiveness that just isn’t true reality!

Let's schedule a headshot session and create a visual representation that accurately reflects your professionalism and attracts the right clients. Remember, in business, authenticity is always the winning strategy.

Anjeanette, PhoenixHeadshotPro.com

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