Whew!
Where do I begin?
New York is frozen over. As I was doing the dishes in my humble Queens apartment, my mind started to drift. I was thinking about my interactions of the day. I was thinking about how to handle some email responses, what to work on for my site, and how I can make 2026 my year as far as my career in photography goes. I was also thinking about playing Resident Evil: Village while relaxing with a couple of beers later. (It can be ALL WORK ALL THE TIME!) As I was making my sudsy way through various plates, cups, mugs, spoons, forks, and pans, it dawned on me that I sure saw a lot of AI-generated headshots today. Like A LOT A LOT. They were everywhere. Firstly, within getting too much into it I think AI should be used as a tool. AI is part of our lives now, whether we like it or not, and whether we know about it or not. It’s there ,and it’s not going anywhere. AI will probably take over at some point (And you can read about that on my future post-apocalypse blog site!) Not to be a downer, but it’s hard not to worry about the times we live in. (But it was like that for every prior generation and we always made it through)
AI is disrupting the creative industry from pillar to post. BUT as creatives, we need to adapt in order to thrive. Yes, an AI headshot can certainly be a cheaper alternative to booking a shoot with an actual photographer BUT that doesn’t mean it’s better. Nothing can replace the human experience, and in this human’s experience, the AI-generated headshots I’ve seen look so darn silly that I can’t help but laugh. I’ve even seen them on casting websites! I think to myself, “What does this person REALLY look like?” or “Does this even work?” or “The audacity!” I KNOW they are gonna get better and further blur the lines between what’s real and what’s fake, but we need to wake up and realize that you can’t beat the human touch. I’m not saying “hey book me now for your next headshot session,” I mean I AM saying that, but for the love of …hire anyone to take your headshot (But someone good!) . Don’t let AI make you look like a silly goose to your friends, family, and colleagues. It’s fine for a dopey Instagram post, but keep that “S” off of LinkedIn, or your company profile. It’s fine for a bot or ai chat avatar, but not for flesh and blood humans. We live in an age of spin. We live in an age where perception equals reality. BUT the hard reality is that you don’t look like the AI photos you’re making. Hire a pro. You’ll thank yourself, and if you hire the right person (Me!), they will make you look like a million bucks. And remember, whenever you don’t use AI, a creative gets their wings.
See you soon my babes.
Rich!
