When you are launching a business, an AI headshot can look like the easy answer. It is quick, it is inexpensive, and you can have it today.
Shanna, the founder of Isbindi Naya Empowerment, considered it too. She is a life and health coach who supports women in their 30s, 40s and 50s through transitions: burnout, grief, a change of work, caring for someone else. She was launching a brand new business and needed a photo for a directory listing as soon as possible.
She chose a real photo session instead. Here is why, and what it can mean for your own launch.
The question behind every launch photo
What does this image say about you before you say a word?
Your first photo is often the first thing a potential client sees: on a directory, on your website, on Instagram, in an email. It does a lot of work in a few seconds.
For a new business, there is also nothing else to go on yet. No reviews, no history, no name people recognise. The photo carries the first impression almost alone.
Where AI photos help, and where they stop
AI photos are fast and cost very little. For a placeholder or a personal project, that can be enough.
But an AI image is a picture of someone who does not quite exist. It can look polished and still feel slightly off, and people notice that, even when they cannot say why. For a business built on trust, that feeling matters.
Shanna's story: a launch built on being real
A business about connection
Shanna grew up in a small town in Minnesota and now lives overseas, working in the humanitarian sector. She knows what it is to live something people think of as a dream, while the reality is also day-to-day life, a good coffee and two pets who think the office is theirs.
She is building her coaching business around connection and community, and around supporting women who are navigating big questions of identity, often on their own. In her words, many people feel lost in the noise right now, and she wants to bring back a sense of connection.
Why she chose not to use AI photos
Shanna could have generated a profile photo in minutes. She decided against it because she knew it would hurt her over time.
Her business is about being authentic and being yourself. So she asked herself a simple question: what image do you send if you use a fake picture to sell a transformation based on being real?
And she thought about the client on the other side. Someone looking for a coach is looking for someone they can trust. If they find an online persona that is not real, the trust goes before the first conversation has even started.
What a real photo session gives you
Step one: tell the photographer who you are
Before her session, Shanna answered an in-depth questionnaire about her business, her reason for doing it, and how she wanted to feel in her photos. Her words were approachable and authentically me, and her brand words were trust, inspired, real and welcoming.
That is what shapes a session. The photos are built around who you are and who you want to reach, not around a generic template.
Step two: a session that feels like you
Shanna came to my studio in Palma for a mini session. Her goal was polished and professional, but still someone people can relate to: I'm just like you. Those two things belong together, and a real session is where they meet.
Step three: photos you can use straight away
Shanna needed a headshot quickly so she could go live on a directory, with the rest of her images to follow. A mini session is made for exactly this. You launch with a real photo that represents you, and you grow your image library as the business grows.
She has already said she will be back once her business has launched, and I am looking forward to following her journey and updating her photos as she grows.
“I was simply in need of a headshot, well that is what I thought 😉. I am so happy that Adele had a mini session available for my new business. She was absolutely wonderful for our pre consultation through the shoot and beyond. She even let Baila who really is an extension of me be part of the shoot allowing even more authenticity. The high quality photos have helped so much as I launch my website and my company. And Adele continues to be a great resource. Currently, all I can think of is when the time is right I can’t wait to do a longer shoot and also hope it’s not 100 degrees that day 😉” - Shanna - https://www.isbindinaya.com/
AI photos vs professional photos: the honest comparison
Trust
A real photo shows a real person. For coaches, therapists, consultants and anyone selling their own expertise, that is the foundation of the relationship.
Consistency
A photographer can give you images that look like the same person across your website, directory listings and social media, today and in a year. AI images tend to drift, and they rarely look like you on a video call.
Recognition
When a client meets you after seeing your photos, you want them to think: yes, that is her. With a real photo, they do.
Time and cost
AI is quicker and cheaper at the start. A real session takes planning, but it gives you images you can use for months, and it can be as simple as one mini session to begin with.
Quick answers about photos for a new business
Can I use AI photos to launch my business?
You can, but if your business relies on trust and authenticity, as it does for coaches and personal brands, a real photo will serve you better in the long run.
Do I need a full photoshoot to launch?
No. A mini session with a few strong images is enough to go live on your website, a directory or Instagram. You can add more as you grow.
Where can I find a personal branding photographer in Mallorca?
I work from my studio in Palma and on location all around Mallorca, helping entrepreneurs and business owners across Mallorca be visible with images that feel real.
Ready to launch with photos that feel like you?
You do not need everything in place to begin. You need a couple of images that represents you honestly, so the right people can find you and trust you.
If you are launching a new business in Mallorca and would like photos that feel like you, I would love to hear about it.
Bisous,
Adele Odette
