An Interior Designer Headshot on the Avenue of Planes

The Avenue of Planes register

Shanghai's old western quarter is a place of avenues where plane trees meet overhead, lane houses of red brick with stone lintels and carved gateways, villas behind walls, and cafes in old garages. The light comes dappled and green through the leaves onto the brick. The pack pairs plane green and brick red at matched saturation, the green dominant: a deep green wool coat over a brick-red silk blouse.

She stands before a wall of red brick with a stone lintel, a catchlight in each eye, rests a hand on the grey stone frame of a lane house's carved gateway with brick and green leaf soft behind, and takes the avenue at half-length with the planes arching overhead and the lane houses receding beneath them, on the pavement. The light is dappled and soft. The mood is a woman dressed in the two colours the quarter has worn for a century.

What comes out is photographic: nine photos of you, three in each of three settings, in the look of the old French Concession in Shanghai. The place and the wardrobe are borrowed as a setting; the photos are portraits of you, not pictures taken there.

How to photograph yourself for a interior designer headshot

Better source photos make better portraits. An ordinary phone photo is enough, and a few habits sharpen the likeness.

1. Even, soft lightStand near a window with daylight on your face. Avoid overhead bulbs and phone flash, which flatten a face.
2. Front or three-quarter angleCamera at eye level, facing it or turned slightly. No shot from below, no stretched arm.
3. Face fully clearHair off the face, no sunglasses and no filters. A clear, front-facing phone photo is the best starting point.
4. A level, attentive lookA calm, composed expression in your source photo carries over best into a professional portrait.
5. A plain background is fineDo not worry about your own backdrop. The pack replaces it entirely.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a real photo taken in the old French Concession in Shanghai?

No. It is a portrait of you set in the look of the old French Concession in Shanghai. It is not a picture taken there.

Will it look like a real photograph?

Yes. Every photo is photoreal: a real-looking photograph of you in the look of the old French Concession in Shanghai, not a painting or a cartoon.

Who is this pack for?

It suits interior designers, architects, studio founders and stylists, for a studio's About page, a portfolio, a magazine feature or a profile picture.

Why green and brick red?

Leaf above, brick below: the avenue's two colours. Wool for the green and silk for the red keep each in its own texture, so the pair reads rich, not loud.

Is this pack for women?

The wardrobe and styling are cut for women, so the pack reads that way. Other packs on Narcis suit other looks.

Will the photos look like me?

Every photo looks like you, well photographed. If one is nearly right, say what to change, in your own words.

Do I have to write a prompt?

No. There is nothing to write: you pick a pack, and it is ready in seconds.

How many photos of myself do I add?

Between six and twenty, from different days and in different light, with your face clear. We check each one when you add it.

What happens to the photos I add?

They are used only to create your model, on our own servers in the European Union. They are not shared and not sold.

When this pack fits

• An interior designer headshot for a studio's About page
• A designer headshot for women for a portfolio
• A creative professional portrait for a magazine feature
• A design studio founder photo for a client brochure
• An author photo for a book on interiors
• A profile picture in dappled green
• A gift for a designer who loves old houses

About narcis

Most AI photo tools put every pose, job, era, and style in one giant catalog. The photos all look like every other AI photo on the internet — a glaze over a stock face. Narcis goes the other way. One job: photos of you that look like photographs. You add at least 6 photos of yourself, and we create your AI model from them. Your photos are ready in a few hours, and we email you when they are. Then this pack and every other pack on Narcis can be made with your face. Each pack is curated against real references — paintings, photographers, places — and tested on real faces before it goes live. Built and run by one small team, on our own servers.