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I’ve always hated taking pictures of myself.
Once upon a time, I was an awkward high school senior taking pictures in my backyard, and the photos turned out okay, about as well as you’d expect, despite my terrible haircut, my awkward half-smile, and my outfit that I wish someone had helped me with.
A few years later, I was applying for an internship and needed a professional headshot. Naturally, I dug out my old yearbook and decided to reuse the one photo that I thought would be good enough. I was desperate, a little lazy, and like most twenty-somethings, my camera roll consisted of nothing but duck-lipped selfies and Instagram photos.
I wish I had Portrait Pal.
Years have passed since then, and my headshot remains the same. Every time I glance at it I think, “Wow, I need to get a new one.” This feeling was confirmed when a close friend connected with me on Linkedin and asked, with a hint of surprise, “Wow? Is that really you?”
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Unfortunately, professional photo shoots can be hard to book, especially in New York City, and they’re not cheap—some can cost over $1,000, and that doesn’t include hair and makeup. As a working mom, it’s not at the top (or even second) of my to-do list.
I’d heard about some AI portrait-generation services, but wondered whether the photos would end up looking blurry, unrealistic, or overly edited like a Kardashian-esque Photoshop fail. At best, I figured I might just look like a distant relative of mine from the metaverse.
What is Portrait Pal?
One of the images Miska Saleman uploaded for the Portrait Palcession. Miska Saleman
That didn’t happen when I signed up for Portrait Pal.
The AI photo generation service caught my attention for a few reasons: it costs just $35 for a starter package, it’s built by real people (AI researchers), and it claims to create “strikingly realistic” and “professional” photos quickly. For me, it checked all the boxes.
Not to mention, all of this AI generation can be done while you’re lying in bed watching Netflix, putting on a charcoal face mask and eating Doritos. I’m a sucker for anything that requires no effort.
So I created an account, which took less than three minutes from start to finish. I entered my email address and selected the starter package, which included 20 headshots. Then I chose my age, gender, hair length, eye color, and body type (I’m OK with exaggerating myself if I want to).
I’ve only used one AI generator so far, and it mostly misidentified me as Linda, a 49-year-old German-Greek TV presenter. I think selecting these parameters will reduce the number of mistakes. I’m good at reducing mistakes. Nothing against Linda. But I don’t like getting older than 20 years.
Portrait Pal then collected data from my images, piecing together my facial features in different lighting conditions, including everything from the shape of my earlobes to the tiny mole above my lip to the number of creases between my eyebrows when I squint. Portrait Pal sees it all, even if you don’t want it to.
I was asked to upload at least six photos; thankfully, populating an AI filter doesn’t require the precision of curating a dating-app profile. I didn’t think much of the challenge: in the first photo I had animal cracker crumbs on my dress, in the second I had a bad sunburn, and in the third my hair was all tangled.
Is Portrait Pal worth it?
Portrait of Miska Saleman created by Portrait Pal. Portrait Pal
Once I was done checking out, I waited — three hours to be exact — and then I checked my Portrait Pal dashboard. My portrait was ready.
The starter package provided me with 20 photos taken in a variety of settings: many traditional office spaces, some monochromatic backgrounds, and some more relaxed outdoor backgrounds. I was wearing business casual pantsuits, blazers, blouses, etc.
It has affected me to say the least.
Looking at my portrait pal’s photos, I felt like I was looking at myself in a dream. She looks just like me, but I got 8 hours of sleep, had my hair perfectly styled, found time for a manicure, and left my Crest Whitestrips on for 15 minutes. I can imagine she had a professional stylist, picked out her outfit, and someone told her how to stand and pose.
Of course, there are times when an #IRL photoshoot is necessary, like a wedding, a pregnancy, or a photoshoot for your last year of high school (although I have some reservations about that last year).
But when it comes to getting your headshot taken, I’d argue that Portrait Pal might be your best bet. The service is user-friendly, surprisingly accurate, and perhaps a lens into the future of photography.
The person in my photos is me on my best day, and at just $35, it’s cheaper than a blowout or most beauty products, and certainly cheaper than a $1,000+ fancy photo shoot in NYC.
So, the conclusion is this: you can finally update your outdated LinkedIn photo. How about you?
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This article was written by Miska Saleman, business journalist for the New York Post. A first-time Gen Z mom of one, Miska tests out a wide variety of baby, maternity, and postpartum products with her daughter, from stylish new kids’ clothes to long-trusted diaper brands. She evaluates baby- and mom-approved products for practicality and quality, and consults medical and parenting experts on safe ingredients, usage instructions, and more. Prior to the Post, Miska covered lifestyle and consumer verticals at The U.S. Sun.
