A Beijing Tech Headshot in Winter Charcoal

The Zhongguancun snow register

Zhongguancun in Snow draws on Beijing's Zhongguancun in January — charcoal glass, charcoal sky, snow on the plaza, a charcoal down coat. It's the AI researcher's portrait for the lab: Beijing's winter dark worn as a coat, the snow the only white.

The register is tone on tone: quilted nylon, tinted glass and sky are separated by texture under flat snow light, against a charcoal glass façade with snow at its foot, on the plaza with the towers dark above, and half-length on the avenue as the charcoal recedes.

The output is photoreal: a professional headshot generated from your own uploaded photo, not a real shoot outside a real Beijing lab. The coat, the glasses and the snow are the pack's studio, built around your face.

How to photograph yourself for the Zhongguancun headshot

The free preview shows the likeness in seconds. A few things sharpen it before the winter scene goes on.

1. Even, soft lightFace a window with indirect daylight. Avoid harsh overhead light or direct sun.
2. Eye-level, front or three-quarterHold the camera at eye level. No selfie-stick uplook, no shot from below.
3. Face fully clearHair off the face, no hats, no sunglasses, no filters — the AI needs a clear read of your features.
4. A composed, professional expressionA level, confident look reads better in a corporate headshot than a big grin.
5. Plain background is fineThe pack replaces your backdrop with charcoal glass and falling snow — a plain wall behind you is all it needs.

Frequently asked questions

Will this look like an actual AI researcher headshot, not a costume shot?

Yes — the register is a real corporate headshot: a charcoal down coat, black-framed glasses, and Beijing's winter dark as the backdrop. It reads like a lab profile photo, not a themed portrait.

What's the difference between the free preview and the full pack?

The preview is one photo from your uploaded selfie, ready in seconds. The full pack is nine photos across three set-ups in Zhongguancun's snow, in about 45 seconds, for €4,99.

How is this different from a generic AI headshot generator?

Most AI headshot tools default to a stock office background. This pack is anchored to one real district's winter palette — charcoal, glass, snow — so the result reads specific instead of a template.

Is there a women's version of this pack?

This pack is styled for men. West Lake in Mist and several other packs in this collection carry the same tech-headshot register for women.

What if my source photo isn't great?

One clear phone selfie is usually enough — the free preview shows you the likeness before you pay. Even, front-facing light is the single biggest improvement you can make.

Can I use this for LinkedIn or my lab's profile page?

Yes — it's built for exactly that: a LinkedIn photo, a lab team page headshot, a conference bio photo.

What happens to the photo I upload?

Your photo is processed on European servers to generate your preview and pack. It isn't shared with third parties.

Can I use it if I don't work in Beijing or in AI?

Yes — the district and the title are the pack's register, not a requirement. Any researcher, or anyone who wants a charcoal-snow headshot, can use it.

When the Zhongguancun headshot fits

• A LinkedIn profile photo that reads like a real lab headshot
• A lab or company team page portrait
• A conference paper author photo
• A GitHub or personal site profile photo
• A resume photo for a research role
• A Slack or internal-tools avatar
• A press-kit photo for a launch
• A networking-event badge photo

About narcis

Most AI portrait tools ship every pose, profession, era, and aesthetic in one giant catalog. The output looks like every other AI photo on the internet — a glaze over a stock face. Narcis goes the other way. One tool, one job: turn photos of you into portraits worth keeping. Drop a selfie and your free preview streams in seconds — a quick sketch: close, not you yet. For portraits that are truly you, train your own model on 12 to 20 photos; it trains in the background, and we email you when it is ready. Train once, render everywhere — this pack, every other pack, and the Studio all come out of that one model, about ten seconds a portrait, and it stays yours to retrain or delete. Each pack is hand-curated against actual references — paintings, photographers, registers — and tested on real faces before it ships. See a free preview before you pay, not after. Packs are one-time — no subscription to buy one; Studio, the unlimited composer, is optional at €12/month and every pack includes 30 days of it. No template generator. Built and run by one team, on our own infrastructure.