AI Prompts for Portraits and Headshots

Describe the person, expression, light and lens look. Avoid naming real people, and check your tool’s rules on realistic faces and commercial use.

Studio headshot

a professional studio headshot of a woman in her thirties, soft key light, neutral grey backdrop, relaxed confident smile, 85mm lens look, shallow depth of field

Environmental portrait

a baker in a small village bakery at dawn, flour on his apron, warm window light, candid expression, 35mm lens look

Wider lenses show more of the setting.

Character study

an elderly sailor with a weathered face and a wool cap, dramatic side light, dark background, painterly detail

Fashion editorial

a model in a structured cream coat on an empty city street at golden hour, editorial fashion photography, confident pose

Illustrated portrait

a stylised portrait of a young musician with headphones, flat colour shapes, limited palette of teal and orange, clean outline

Ask for “flat vector” to avoid photo textures.

Family-friendly avatar

a friendly cartoon avatar of a person with curly hair and round glasses, soft pastel background, simple shapes, centred

Good for profile pictures.

See AI prompts for mood boards, how to write better AI image prompts and the Midjourney prompts.