AI can make almost anyone look polished, credible and professional. But as generated imagery becomes more convincing, the way we respond to what we see may depend increasingly on whether we believe it is real. This reflection looks at a small study on trust in AI generated imagery, a client message that arrived at an oddly perfect moment, and what all of this might mean for professional portraits and first impressions.

A client was invited to speak at a conference and needed a professional portrait for the event. A reflection on speaker profiles, first impressions and why different moments call for different photographs.

She had spent years building a respected career inside established organisations. Then came the decision to build something of her own. A reflection on why, when the company logo comes off, your portrait often becomes part of your introduction.

I never quite know who's going to walk through the door. But every person who sits in front of my camera carries a story and I always leave the session richer for it.

As a lecturer and a photographer, AI keeps showing up in my world in different forms. In the classroom, in the studio, in the questions clients ask. The technology isn't the hard part. The harder question is what we risk outsourcing along the way.

When people ask if I can take their passport photo, I often hesitate. Not because it's difficult, but because passport photos and portraits serve two very different purposes. One is about recognition. The other is about representation.

During a viewing session, a client paused at one of his portraits and said something I wasn't expecting. It gave me goosebumps. After years of photographing people, this was the first time I watched someone find something in an image that had nothing to do with how they looked.