A variety of studio images from a personal branding shoot.

 

Why AI headshots are inferior to a real photo shoot

Although I photograph headshots professionally and believe AI headshots are inferior, I think that the AI generated headshots have a place in the market. That may sound surprising at first coming from me, but let me explain.

The biggest hurdle many people face when getting a professional headshot is the cost. Students, part time workers, and recent grads likely don't have the money for a photoshoot. For them, an AI generated image of themself appears more professional than a cell phone photo.

The other thing a lot of people don't have is time. If you need an image right away, there may not be time to research photographers, schedule something, and wait to get the images back. Using an AI image is faster, while still being more professional than just using your phone.

Once you have the time and can invest in professional photography though, here's why it's in your best interest not to use AI.

Not as easy as it looks

The best AI images start with strong input images. Your body language shows confidence, your facial expression is friendly and approachable, and your clothing isn't too baggy. The lighting flatters the shape of your face while not being too flat or overly harsh. The size of your face relative to the size of the overall image needs to be mostly correct, meaning you're not too close or far away.

When you get the results back from the AI, you'll see a selection of images where your face and body language are essentially the same. It can't give you a bigger smile, make you stand taller, or open your eyes if you're squinting. You have to get these things right in the original images.

That can mean a lot of trial and error. You'll likely need to take a lot of different shots in different light to get some good photos to feed the AI. Then if you don't like the images it creates, you'll have to start over.

AI can only change the less important details

The variety you get back from the AI will be the less important details. It can place you in a different background, change your clothes, or tweak your hair color. It can also apply subtle changes to lighting like adding highlights to mimic rim light.

But these details are mostly irrelevant aren't they? Does a background of trees vs. a background of a waterfront make you look more professional? What about using open shade for the image vs. a low sun angle?

These details may give you some variety, but they don't really change how the viewer sees you as a human. You can appear friendly, approchable, and knowledgable regardless of the background, color of your shirt, or the time of day.

Real variety

We are capable of all kinds of expressions, but the AI only really gives us one major one. It's basically one homogenized version of the input images.

But when you're doing an actual photo shoot with Erik Patton Photography, you can get real variety in your expressions, body language, and posing. Even the slightest change in the size of your smile, the arch of a brow line or turn of the head can communicate fundamentally things.

If you have long hair, a studio session allows you put it up or leave it down. Move it over both shoulders behind your back or in front over your collar bone. Or one side forward, the other back.

We can bring your hand into the frame. Place it to the side of the cheeck for a sympathetic look or under the chin for something more pensive.

You can twist your shoulders to appear thinner or have them square to the camera for a more authoritative pose. We can shoot at an angle that's slightly upward to make you look more powerful or slightly down to be more approachable.

We can shoot tight for closeups, slightly wider for a traditional headshot, and then wide for 3/4 or full body shots.

Even a short studio session allows for playing around with all of these kinds of things until we get the desired result. That's the kind of real variety AI can't deliver.

Cost

As of 2026 one popular website charges $60 for one AI generated headshot. I charge $300, but that includes three images or $100 an image. So you're saving $40 an image by using AI. That's about the price of dinner at a fast casual restaurant.

When you think about the importance of your profile picture on LinkedIn and the fact that you can use it for a long time, you're geting a lot more value out of the headshot than a meal you won't remember next week.

And even if you compare the up front $300 to the $60, I would argue the additional $240 for a studio headshot is well worth it, considering how important it is. Not to mention the two other images you could use for personal branding, social media, or dating websites.

It's also entirely likely that the price for AI generated images will only increase, either because the cost to run AI data centers continues to increases or because they can make more money if their costs do eventually come down. Have you ever seen a company lower their prices when their input costs go down? Me either. It's certainly an open question, but I suspect the price difference between AI and photography will get smaller over time.

Ethical concerns

Using AI for headshots has a number of potential ethical issues associated with it. The largest centers around the authenticity of the resulting image. Is the person depicted in the image really you?

There is a healthy debate right now about using AI generated product images for selling stuff online. It's not against the law unless the AI images are substantially different from the product being sold, but customers can still feel deceived when AI is used. When a customer buys something online, they rightfully believe the picture they see online is the actual product. But it's not. It's AI's interpretation of it.

That lack of transparency can create a negative customer experience, leading to requests for refunds and negative reviews. Not to mention the seller losing a potential a repeat customer. That's a big enough risk for some companies that they avoid using AI generated product images.

Now imagine you've been invited to interview for your dream job, but your LinkedIn profile picture is AI generated. Is the hiring manager getting a version of you that matches your profile picture? How would they feel if they knew you cut corners by using AI? Would they still trust you if they knew your photo wasn't authentic? Perhaps a better question would be is it worth the risk to find out?

An ego boost

How do you feel when you get dressed up? For men and women, just putting on a power suit builds confidence. You look the part. People now see you as someone who can take charge, understands things, and is trustworthy.

But maybe you don't see yourself that way, despite looking great. Working with a good photographer can change that. It's my job to help you feel self assured because that's how we get the best photographs. After just a few minutes of positive direction, you'll begin to relax and hopefully realize that you do look great.

And if you're still not feeling super confident, the proof is in the resulting images. Now you're not just looking in the mirror, you're seeing how other people see you. It's confirmation that you do in fact, look great, which boosts your confidence further.

Working with another human will make you feel empowered in a way that a computer generated image simply cannot.

The AI look

Once you look at enough AI generated images, you'll begin to recognize their characteristics.

They all have a bit of an artificial quality about them. They're a bit too polished, too smooth, and too perfect. They lack the depth of a real photograph, despite using blurred backgrounds designed to look like shallow depth of field. They produce the same basic expression -- a slight smile looking more or less straight at the camera. Your eyes may have catch lights, but they tend to look flat or dull. And the composition is nearly universal, placing you dead center with the same amount of space around your head.

Today AI generated images are a novelty in the marketplace, which means that people haven't seen enough of them to pick up these visual cues. But eventually I believe they'll be as recognizable as stock photos. This kind of bland fake imagery is exactly the opposite of the authenticity a headshot should represent.

Better than good enough -- your best

Currently the consensus seems to be that AI generated headshots are "good enough". They can fool the viewer into believing it's a real photograph of a real person. But is "good enough" really how you want people to judge you online?

A human taking a picture of another human will always create a better photograph compared to what AI generates. From the day we're born, we've been hardwired to recognize human faces. It's such an innate quality that we can see them everywhere, even when they're not real. We see faces in the clouds, in our morning toast, and in the man in the moon.

Out of necessity, we've also learned to read meaning and emotion from faces. Does the person look threatening? Do they look look sick? Are they angry? For our own survival we've learned to stay away from people with these expressions. But we also recognize the opposite. Faces that show warmth, friendliness, and curiousity tend to draw us towards them.

It shouln't be a surprise that out of 100 pictures taken during a headshot shoot, that we can pick the best two or three in just a few seconds. Our human brain will always be better trained than an AI model to find the best images, not just the ones that are just "ok" or "good enough".

So it really comes down to two options: an image that 's good enough or an image where you really do look your best. If I'm trying to get a job, build a business, or promote my personal brand, I know which I'd choose. Your headshot is too important to settle for anything less.

Getting started

If you'd like more information about doing a headshot photo session, here some resources to help get your started.

Here's our introductory web page, how to prep for a headshot session, how often you should update your headshot, and a bit about personal branding.

To get more details, get in touch.