Yes. Modern facial recognition systems (not sure which specific one his laptop used though, so what I am saying below might not apply to this specific case in t

Yes. Modern facial recognition systems (not sure which specific one his laptop used though, so what I am saying below might not apply to this specific case in the OP) use 3D mapping to get not just a flat image, but try to reconstruct the shape of your head/face. That's why when you try to set up FaceID on an iPhone, it asks you to turn your head in a circle a few times, so that the system is able to get all the necessary sides and angles of your head to create the internal 3d model. Other people can most likely still unlock your device if they make a perfectly molded silicone mask of your head+face or something else similarly complex, but a photo of your face printed on a piece of paper wouldn't work.