I want to gatekeep this so bad, but here on Hive we’re family, so here goes.
This is a little tutorial on how to get photoshoot-worthy pictures without stepping into a studio. But before the how-to, let me share a quick thought and backstory of how this came about.
So, my mum’s birthday is in 8 days. For the longest time, I’ve been dragging this woman to get a dress so we could do a professional photoshoot for her. (Yes, Nigerians are extra like that.) But my mum? The dress wasn’t even the problem, she dreads outfit changes more than anything. Add the whole “smile,” “hand on your waist,” “look over here” episode? She hates it. Ha ha. Even on the rare occasions she feels like taking pictures, two poses and she’s done. Lol.
Then one faithful afternoon, I was doom-scrolling TikTok when I stumbled across a video tutorial on using AI to create professional-looking photoshoot pictures. I almost skipped it, I thought it was one of those impression-fishing posts. After all, I knew ChatGPT to be the best for AI images, and even that doesn’t fully match studio-quality photos.
Somehow, I sat through the video. And to my surprise, I discovered Google AI Studio. Ladies and gents, using this tool, I created strikingly realistic versions of my dream photoshoot images for my mum. Here’s exactly how I did it:
Step 1: Inspo sourcing
I went on Pinterest and gathered inspiration that matched the style I wanted.
Step 2: Real Face Snapping
I called my mum, cleaned my camera lens, and snapped her face in good lighting. I also got side profiles so the AI could capture her facial features fully.
Step 3: Prompt Generation
I used another AI, you can try Gemini since it lets you upload unlimited images. I fed it my inspo photos and asked it to describe them in detail: hair, jewelry, lighting, texture, resolution, color grading, everything.
Step 4: Prompt Revamping
I uploaded my mum’s pictures into Nano Banana (our miracle AI photographer 😅) and gave it this command:
“This is my face and these are my measurements. Create a [Gemini’s detailed description here, adjusted where needed].”
By including measurements, the output looked much closer to her actual body mass.
And voila!
This is my mum
And these are the AI generated images
Now, here’s the truth: sometimes the results are perfect. Other times? I have no idea whose face that is, lol. It’s 50/50.
One more observation: no matter how good AI gets, it will never replace professional photographers. Photography is about capturing realness — that’s why people love candid shots. With AI, you’re essentially remixing someone else’s perfected work. Kudos to all the photographers out there; you remain the standard.
Also, I know some people get nervous about uploading their pictures into AI. But if you’re cool with posting on TikTok or Instagram, then… I rest my case. Lol.
Anyway, the end result is we now have at least two solid pictures to post for my mum’s birthday. Hopefully, this helps someone else with a photo-phobic mother too. Ha ha.
Goodnight, beautiful people.
Thank you for reading. 🧡