AI headshots are the best thing since sliced bread, a phrase referring to an idea that is highly innovative, convenient, and efficient. AI fits that bill. Before sliced bread, you would have to make it yourself, and therefore have the ingredients, the cookware, oven, and knowledge of how to make bread. Or go to a bakery and purchase the bread and bring it home and slice the bread yourself. Not hard, but effort required to have bread. Then sliced bread happened. And suddenly, everyone could have bread ready to go pre-sliced. Cut down on time and even made bread cheaper since it was now more readily available to everyone!

What does sliced bread have to do with headshots? Well, I think AI headshots are the best thing since sliced bread. Let me explain. Like sliced bread, AI headshots have become very convenient and easy to do. And since nearly everyone has a smartphone with a camera, all you need to do is take a photo of yourself and upload it to an AI headshot company. Once you submit, you'll get multiple options on clothing, backgrounds, and poses. No need to find a photographer. No need to make an appointment. No need to drive across town to get your headshot done. Submit and get your results usually the same day, if not hours later. Innovative. Convenient. Efficient. Like sliced bread.

So, why am I, a Denver photographer, extolling the virtues of AI headshots? Is this my "end of a career" final blog post? Well, no. AI headshots are a thing. No denying it. Are AI headshots the death knell of professional headshots done by professional (or even amateur) photographers? Also no. I think AI headshots have their place just like sliced bread does. But if you want really good, handcrafted, savory bread, you go to a bakery. You find flavors you can't get at the local grocery store. You smell the freshly baked bread. You buy your loaf (or two because heck, you're already at the bakery) and take it home. And yes, you have to slice the bread yourself. But you decide how thick of a slice you want. How many slices you need. And all the ways you'll enjoy your artisan made loaf of bread. The smell and the taste of that bread simply cannot be compared to store bought mass produced sliced bread.

That’s what a professional headshot session offers, the same artisan bakery to AI’s grocery aisle. You get expert coaching on expressions and posing. You get wardrobe tips and styling. You get professional lighting to complement your features. Most of all you get real time personal interaction to bring out the best in you for the best possible image.

Headshots created for you by a professional photographer hit different. For one, it's actually you. Not a very close recreation, however good it may be, of you. But actually you in the photo. You were there when the image was created with a professional whose whole intent is to capture the best version of you. They will recognize your initial unease being in front of the camera, the nervous half smile, and guide you back to your genuine self. They will fully engage and interact with you because you’re human and human interaction is everything.

But yeah, AI headshots are the best thing since sliced bread. It's easy, convenient, and can be done by nearly everyone. So, you decide what you want. Convenience or authenticity. Both work. Both have their place. One looks like you and one is you.