4 ms·

I am surprised that "professional headshot" would be a task that can be outsourced to an AI. Even with the various filters available these days, how do you work

by bostik 2y ago

I am surprised that "professional headshot" would be a task that can be outsourced to an AI. Even with the various filters available these days, how do you work around the need to actually have a professional grade kit? At a minimum I would expect you'd still need a professional lighting setup, a sturdy tripod, the right studio background, a good DSLR (or mirrorless), properly diffused, reflected and toned flash, and the skills to really work with RAW images to get the best possible output. And that's even before we include the skills and knowledge to guide their subject to just the right poses to get the subtle body language right. (Yes, the relative position of your spine and the stress you put on your upper body does affect how comfortable and confident you appear in the final shot. I know that now.) More than 20 years ago, my boss at the time recommended that I get a professional headshot. We were producing printed[ß] booklets as part of our marketing strategy, and I wrote occasional columns in them. He wanted to have the author's face attached to the pieces. He recommended that I pay for the service myself so that the photos would remain with me. If the company had paid for them, getting them into any other (read: off-work, post resignation) use would have been awkward, confusing and possibly a red flag for the accountant. One of the best investments I've ever made. I paid for three slightly varied versions, and used them actively for about a decade. As it happens, it might well be the time to get a fresh set. ß: an anachronism, no doubt

ascorbic 2y ago
There are a number of services that let you upload a few random photos of yourself and will then generate headshots based on them. They're not real photos though: they're just AI-generated. The quality is variable at best though, and many are either obviously AI-generated or don't look much like the person. They might be enough for some people, and they're certainly cheaper than the real thing.
stockboss 2y ago
the answer is - you don't need a professional grade kit. in the past, i used to have to pay more than $10 to take some physical photos designed specifically for passport dimensions. and then, ironically, i have to then scan it in to submit for a passport application. now? i download a free app with all the right settings that gives me instructions on how to take a proper passport photo, and then applies some filters to brighten it up, remove some imperfections on my face, etc and it looks every bit as good as any passport photo i've ever had. and it cost me $0.00. the delta in quality between "professional" shots with professional equipment, and smartphones with increasingly capable cameras and software is becoming so small for most everyday use purposes, that the professionals are going to find it very hard to justify their rates in the future.
- ahoka 2y ago
  The parent comment did not talk about a passport shot, but something that you can use in a professional setting to represent yourself.
- cheeseface 2y ago
  At the same time, the two photographers in my neighbourhood are doing better than ever. When it comes to memories (like newborn photos) surprisingly many people are willing to pay a premium.
  - HPsquared 2y ago
    Often the event being photographed has the participants fully involved, they don't have time to think about photos. Hence the need for a professional. DIY has limits, people are single-threaded. You need to hire professionals for extra threads.
  - notahacker 2y ago
    My neighbourhood photographer charged me approximately the same for taking a passport photo and auto-submitting it via a quality-checking app as I'd have paid to use the quality-checking app myself... She also recognised my name from the prints of my baby nieces she'd sold.
- jjcob 2y ago
  I think OP was talking about professional portraits made by a photographer in a studio in a roughly hour long session. Photo shoots like that typically cost 100-200€ and the resulting portraits are not at all comparable to a 10€ passport photo.
  - bostik 2y ago
    Correct. I was indeed. Although this particular round fell somewhere inbetween "passport mughots at Snappy Snaps" and a full "subject all dolled up" session. IIRC the photo session was about 20 minutes and a week later I paid (IIRC) 25€ for each processed photo I eventually wanted to buy. She burned the selected high-res JPEGs on a CD while I waited. I'd be happy to pay £120 to £150 for a fresh set these days, assuming they'd serve me for a decade again. [Funnily enough, we ended up going to her studio for our official wedding photos a couple of years later.]
nhinck3 2y ago
Chat GPT, here are some casual photos of me, please produce a professional headshot of me.
cyrillite 2y ago
What constitutes a “professional headshot” is nothing more than a set of shared norms. Those norms will change rapidly (and have been changing, actually) to include AI Generated headshots. You can already find plenty of headshots that are an AI amalgamation of someone’s selfies. Most of the time you don’t notice until you’re looking a little more closely. That service will only get better and cheaper, and norms will shift too.
- relaxing 2y ago
  I’m calling it now: in a few years the amalgamated style of AI headshots will look desperately uncool. Even lighting, defocused background, too-perfect hair, senseless focus on the wrong details, etc. All it will take is one trendsetter to get the ball rolling, accelerated by the backlash against scam profiles, and all the current AI models will be worthless for the task.
mnky9800n 2y ago
I have instead opted for a headshot of the goomba from the 1993 live action super Mario bros. Movie which typically gets me requests to change my headshot as people find it disturbing. Perhaps your idea is a better one. Haha.

by bostik 2y ago

ascorbic 2y ago

There are a number of services that let you upload a few random photos of yourself and will then generate headshots based on them. They're not real photos though: they're just AI-generated. The quality is variable at best though, and many are either obviously AI-generated or don't look much like the person. They might be enough for some people, and they're certainly cheaper than the real thing.

stockboss 2y ago

the answer is - you don't need a professional grade kit. in the past, i used to have to pay more than $10 to take some physical photos designed specifically for passport dimensions. and then, ironically, i have to then scan it in to submit for a passport application. now? i download a free app with all the right settings that gives me instructions on how to take a proper passport photo, and then applies some filters to brighten it up, remove some imperfections on my face, etc and it looks every bit as good as any passport photo i've ever had. and it cost me $0.00. the delta in quality between "professional" shots with professional equipment, and smartphones with increasingly capable cameras and software is becoming so small for most everyday use purposes, that the professionals are going to find it very hard to justify their rates in the future.

ahoka 2y ago
The parent comment did not talk about a passport shot, but something that you can use in a professional setting to represent yourself.
cheeseface 2y ago
At the same time, the two photographers in my neighbourhood are doing better than ever. When it comes to memories (like newborn photos) surprisingly many people are willing to pay a premium.
- HPsquared 2y ago
  Often the event being photographed has the participants fully involved, they don't have time to think about photos. Hence the need for a professional. DIY has limits, people are single-threaded. You need to hire professionals for extra threads.
- notahacker 2y ago
  My neighbourhood photographer charged me approximately the same for taking a passport photo and auto-submitting it via a quality-checking app as I'd have paid to use the quality-checking app myself... She also recognised my name from the prints of my baby nieces she'd sold.
jjcob 2y ago
I think OP was talking about professional portraits made by a photographer in a studio in a roughly hour long session. Photo shoots like that typically cost 100-200€ and the resulting portraits are not at all comparable to a 10€ passport photo.
- bostik 2y ago
  Correct. I was indeed. Although this particular round fell somewhere inbetween "passport mughots at Snappy Snaps" and a full "subject all dolled up" session. IIRC the photo session was about 20 minutes and a week later I paid (IIRC) 25€ for each processed photo I eventually wanted to buy. She burned the selected high-res JPEGs on a CD while I waited. I'd be happy to pay £120 to £150 for a fresh set these days, assuming they'd serve me for a decade again. [Funnily enough, we ended up going to her studio for our official wedding photos a couple of years later.]

nhinck3 2y ago

Chat GPT, here are some casual photos of me, please produce a professional headshot of me.

cyrillite 2y ago

What constitutes a “professional headshot” is nothing more than a set of shared norms. Those norms will change rapidly (and have been changing, actually) to include AI Generated headshots. You can already find plenty of headshots that are an AI amalgamation of someone’s selfies. Most of the time you don’t notice until you’re looking a little more closely. That service will only get better and cheaper, and norms will shift too.

relaxing 2y ago
I’m calling it now: in a few years the amalgamated style of AI headshots will look desperately uncool. Even lighting, defocused background, too-perfect hair, senseless focus on the wrong details, etc. All it will take is one trendsetter to get the ball rolling, accelerated by the backlash against scam profiles, and all the current AI models will be worthless for the task.

mnky9800n 2y ago

I have instead opted for a headshot of the goomba from the 1993 live action super Mario bros. Movie which typically gets me requests to change my headshot as people find it disturbing. Perhaps your idea is a better one. Haha.