The version most people actually need

Not a job-application photograph. Something usable for a company page, a conference badge, a professional profile — lower stakes, more common, and almost never done.

Why it never gets done

Not cost. It requires deciding to, then a date, then travel. Three small obstacles that reliably beat a low-stakes need, which is why most people are still using a cropped holiday photo.

Removing the appointment removes the obstacle. That is the entire mechanism, and it does not need inflating.

What the headshot has to achieve

Less than the marketing claims. It does not make anyone appear more qualified. It prevents someone briefly willing to look at you from scrolling past.

What decides whether it works

Three things, none of them about the camera: contrast between hair and background, a crop matched to the display size, frontal rather than side light.

The preparation that matters

If you are generating a portrait: photographs from different days, in different clothes, in different light.