A Conservator Headshot in the City of Manuscripts

The City of Manuscripts register

Timbuktu is a city at the desert's edge that was once the world's centre of learning: mud and limestone houses with carved doors, libraries of ancient manuscripts in leather bindings, sand drifting into the streets, and a hard dry light. The pack puts the manuscript conservator there in an ochre linen suit over a cream silk blouse, ochre in every value from pale page to deep leather.

She stands before a wall of ochre mud and limestone, soft behind her, the dry light softened from one side with a catchlight in each eye. She rests a hand on the dark frame of a library's carved door, the ochre wall soft behind. And at half-length she stands on the sand while the low ochre houses line the street behind her with sand drifting against them. The mood is a woman dressed in the sand her manuscripts have survived in.

What comes out is photographic: nine photos of you, three in each of three settings, in the look of Timbuktu. 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 manuscript conservator 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, composed lookA manuscript conservator's portrait should read as calm and attentive. A steady expression in your source photo carries over best.
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 Timbuktu?

No. It is a portrait of you set in the look of Timbuktu. 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, not a painting or a cartoon, in the look of Timbuktu.

Is it right for conservators and archivists?

Yes. It suits conservators, archivists, librarians, curators and restorers, for an institution page, a conference programme, a grant application or an author photo.

Why sand and ochre?

The streets, the houses and the leather bindings share one range of earth. An ochre suit over cream sits inside it.

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

• A conservator headshot for a library or museum page
• A heritage professional headshot for an institution
• A museum professional headshot for women for a staff directory
• A speaker photo for an archives and manuscripts conference
• An author photo for a book on books and learning
• A profile picture in sand ochre
• A gift for a conservator

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.