A Design Director Headshot in the Marble City

The The Marble City register

Kilkenny is a medieval city in the south-east of Ireland, called the marble city for its black limestone, which polishes to a mirror and paves its streets and lines its doorways. It has a castle on the river Nore and a craft and design centre in the castle's stable yard. This pack puts the design director in the city. The palette is Kilkenny black, from charcoal to mirror black.

She wears a black wool coat over a black silk blouse. She stands before a wall of polished black limestone with her reflection faint in it and a rim of light on her hair, stands in a black-stone doorway of the castle yard with a hand on the cold jamb, and stands on the black-flagged riverside path with the castle's round tower and long grey wall above the river. The light is soft and grey, picking out the stone's sheen.

What comes out is photographic: nine photos of you, three in each of three settings, in the look of Kilkenny. 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 design director 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. Dark clothing and a lit faceWear dark clothing, and keep the light on your face in your source photo, so the face reads clearly against it.
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 Kilkenny?

No. It is a portrait of you set in the look of Kilkenny. It is not a picture taken there.

Is a face in all black too dark?

No. A soft rim of light lifts the face from the dark, so the portrait stays clear.

Will it look like a real photograph?

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

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

• A design director headshot for a studio or agency page
• A creative headshot for a portfolio
• A designer portrait for a conference programme
• An author photo for a design book
• A profile picture in black and stone
• A framed print in black marble
• A gift for a designer who dresses in black

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.