A Professor Headshot in New Haven's Collegiate Gothic

The Collegiate Gothic register

New Haven's Collegiate Gothic is grey stone libraries built like cathedrals, leaded windows, courtyards behind arched gates, and the deep blue the university gave its name to. The professor's faculty portrait is taken inside it.

Three photographs. In a nave-like library corridor, the grey stone and leaded windows soft behind, the blue coat's collar framing your face. Seated at a dark oak seminar table under a leaded window, books stacked beside you, the coat over a grey knit. And at half-length under the arched gateway into a residential courtyard, the stone walls and windows rising around the court beyond.

Grey stone, leaded glass and dark oak are held to values. The deep blue coat is the one hue, worn once. The light is soft light from a high window, modelling the face against cool stone.

How to take source photos for the Collegiate Gothic pack

Better source photos make better portraits. A few things sharpen the likeness before the wardrobe and the setting go on top.

1. Even, soft lightStand near a window with indirect daylight on your face. Avoid overhead bulbs and phone flash; both flatten the face.
2. Front or three-quarter angleCamera at eye level, facing it or turned slightly. No shot from below, no wide-angle close-up.
3. Face fully clearHair off the face, no hats or sunglasses. A clear, front-facing photo gives the most of you to work with.
4. Serious but approachableA professor invites a question. A thoughtful, open expression in your source photos suits the stone.
5. Plain background is fineDo not worry about your own backdrop. The pack's three settings replace it entirely.

Frequently asked questions

Is this Yale?

The setting is built from New Haven's Collegiate Gothic: grey stone, leaded windows, arched gates and a deep blue. It is a style of place, and the portrait is of you.

Is it a serious academic headshot?

Yes. It reads as faculty: a coat, a library, a window and calm.

Why one blue coat?

The deep blue is the one colour in a grey and brown world. Worn once, it draws the eye to your face.

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 the Collegiate Gothic pack fits

• A professor headshot for a department page, a faculty directory or a course site
• An academic headshot for women for a book jacket, a grant application or a lecture poster
• A scholar's portrait for a conference programme, a journal profile or a podcast
• A faculty portrait for LinkedIn that reads university without a stock library
• A gift for a graduate who finished the doctorate

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.