# AI photoshoot prompts for men: 8 looks and a test against the “airbrushed” look

> AI photoshoot prompts for men differ from women's in one way: by default, the model makes a man's face look younger and smoother. Below are 8 looks with ready prompts and results from one selfie of a 40-year-old man — business, B&W, city, boxing, garage, mountains, 1930s, café — plus a test of one prompt with and without a natural-skin phrase.

Published 2026-10-01 · Updated 2026-10-01
URL: https://ai2face.com/blog/promty-dlya-muzhskoj-fotosessii

A men's AI photoshoot usually breaks not on the look but on the face: the model smooths the skin, removes wrinkles and turns a forty-year-old man into a razor-ad model. We made all the looks below from one selfie of a 40-year-old man with grey hair and wrinkles in [Nano Banana 2](/models/nano-banana-2) from the [Nano Banana](/models/nano-banana) family, and separately tested how one phrase in the prompt changes the skin.

## How to write an AI photoshoot prompt for men

A men's prompt is the usual [photoshoot prompt formula](/blog/promty-dlya-fotosessii) with three extra points:

1. **Features you can't lose.** Grey hair, beard, wrinkles, the shape of the nose. Name them in the first sentence: “keep the face, the greying hair, the beard, the wrinkles and the slightly crooked nose.”
2. **A phrase against the airbrushed look.** “Natural skin texture, visible pores and wrinkles, no retouching.” Without it, the model makes a “perfect” portrait.
3. **A setting and an action instead of a pose.** Leaning on the ropes of a boxing ring, sitting on a motorcycle, looking out of a café window. A man who just “poses” looks stiff.

| Look | Clothing | Light | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business | navy suit, white shirt, no tie | soft key light | three-quarter turn |
| B&W drama | black turtleneck | hard side light (Rembrandt) | looking into the camera |
| City in the rain | long coat, turtleneck | streetlights in puddles | walking down the street |
| Boxing | tank top, plain gloves | a single overhead lamp | leaning on the ropes |
| Garage | leather jacket, white T-shirt | light from the open doors | sitting on a motorcycle |
| Mountains | waxed jacket, knit beanie | overcast sky with a break of sun | standing in the wind |
| 1930s | pinstripe three-piece suit | warm lamp, sepia | sitting in an armchair with a glass |
| Café | beige sweater | overcast daylight | looking out of the window |

## A business portrait and a test against the airbrushed look

A business portrait is needed for a résumé, a website and social media profiles. We ran it twice. The first prompt includes the distinctive features and the natural-skin phrase. In the second, the features are removed and it ends with “flawless professional portrait.”

```
Keep the man's face, greying hair, salt-and-pepper beard, blue eyes, wrinkles and
slightly crooked nose exactly as in the photo. Business portrait: chest-up, plain
grey studio background, navy suit, white shirt without a tie, a slight
three-quarter turn, a calm confident half-smile, soft key light with gentle fill,
85mm lens, f/5.6. Natural skin texture, visible pores and wrinkles, no retouching
```

![On the left, the original selfie of a man with a greying beard in a forest; in the center, a business portrait with pores and wrinkles; on the right, the same portrait with smoothed skin](https://ai2face.com/_astro/business-skin-test.Dd1QNEBr_Z2aGdWF.jpg "The selfie and two business portraits: in the center, with the natural-skin phrase; on the right, with the words “flawless portrait.” Nano Banana 2")

The difference is obvious. With the skin phrase, the man kept his pores and the wrinkles on his forehead and around his eyes, and he looks his 40 years. In the second image, the skin is smooth, the wrinkles have almost disappeared, and he looks younger and more “ad-like.” For a résumé and LinkedIn, use the first version: the person you meet should recognize you from the photo.

## Ideas 2–3: a black-and-white portrait and the city in the rain

A black-and-white portrait with hard side light is the best shot for showing the texture of a face. The rainy city relies on the reflections of streetlights.

```
Keep the man's face, greying hair, salt-and-pepper beard, blue eyes, wrinkles and
slightly crooked nose exactly as in the photo. Dramatic black-and-white studio
portrait: close-up, he looks straight into the camera, black turtleneck, a single
hard side light (Rembrandt), deep shadows, black background, high contrast,
visible skin texture and wrinkles, fine film grain, 105mm lens, f/4
```

```
Keep the man's face, greying hair, salt-and-pepper beard, blue eyes, wrinkles and
slightly crooked nose exactly as in the photo. Rainy night street style: he walks
down a wet cobblestone street between old brick buildings with glowing windows,
a long charcoal coat and a dark turtleneck, collar up, light rain, warm
streetlights reflected in puddles, cinematic teal and orange tones, 35mm lens,
f/1.8, natural skin. No shops, signs, neon, lettering or logos
```

![On the left, a black-and-white close-up of the man in a turtleneck with hard side light; on the right, the same man in a long coat on a wet night street between brick buildings](https://ai2face.com/_astro/bw-street.BXPI21ED_Z2m68QG.jpg "A B&W portrait with Rembrandt light and a street in the rain. Nano Banana 2")

In the first version of the street shot, neon signs with pseudo-letters glowed in the background. Replacing “intersection” with “a street between brick buildings” and adding an explicit list — “no signs, neon or lettering” — produced a clean image.

## Ideas 4–5: a boxing gym and a garage with a motorcycle

The sports and “garage” looks are the most rugged. In both, props without logos are key: the model likes to decorate gloves, motorcycles and tools with other people's brands.

```
Keep the man's face, greying hair, salt-and-pepper beard, blue eyes, wrinkles and
slightly crooked nose exactly as in the photo. Boxing gym portrait: he leans on
the ring ropes in plain red leather gloves with no lettering, sweat on his
forehead, grey tank top, an old gym with a single overhead lamp, dust in the beam
of light, 50mm lens, f/2, natural skin. No brands, logos, posters with text or
letters
```

```
Keep the man's face, greying hair, salt-and-pepper beard, blue eyes, wrinkles and
slightly crooked nose exactly as in the photo. Garage portrait: he sits on a
vintage café racer motorcycle with no emblems in a workshop, brown leather
jacket, white T-shirt, hands slightly oily, tools on the wall, warm light from
the open doors, 35mm lens, f/2.8, natural skin, no brands or logos
```

![On the left, the man in a grey tank top and red gloves leans on the ring ropes under a single lamp; on the right, the same man in a leather jacket sits on a vintage motorcycle in a garage](https://ai2face.com/_astro/gym-garage.BP3x-PzP_Z27fvQq.jpg "A boxing gym and a garage with a motorcycle. Nano Banana 2")

In the first version of the boxing shot, the name of a real sports brand showed up on the glove cuff. The words “plain gloves with no lettering” and “no brands” fixed it on the second try.

## Ideas 6–7: the mountains and a 1930s classic

Mountains in the wind are the most “alive” look: a beanie, a waxed jacket, wind in the beard. The 1930s classic relies on a three-piece suit, an armchair and sepia.

```
Keep the man's face, greying hair, salt-and-pepper beard, blue eyes, wrinkles and
slightly crooked nose exactly as in the photo. Traveler portrait: he stands on a
windy rocky ridge above a fjord, a worn waxed jacket and a wool beanie, a
backpack strap on his shoulder, wind in his beard, a dramatic overcast sky with a
break of sun, 50mm lens, f/4, natural skin, no logos
```

```
Keep the man's face, greying hair, salt-and-pepper beard, blue eyes, wrinkles and
slightly crooked nose exactly as in the photo. Classic 1930s-style portrait: he
sits in a leather armchair in a dark wood-paneled study, a fine pinstripe
three-piece suit, a fedora on the table beside him, a glass of whiskey in his
hand, cigar smoke in warm lamplight, sepia tones, 50mm lens, f/2, natural skin
```

![On the left, the man in a beanie and waxed jacket on a cliff above a fjord under an overcast sky; on the right, the same man in a three-piece suit in a leather armchair in a 1930s study with a glass and a hat](https://ai2face.com/_astro/outdoor-classic.CkRHfpIN_Z29QcsL.jpg "Mountains above a fjord and a 1930s classic. Nano Banana 2")

## Idea 8: a café

A calm lifestyle shot for a profile: a book, black coffee, a look out of the window. A portrait like this doesn't look staged, because the subject is busy with his own thing.

```
Keep the man's face, greying hair, salt-and-pepper beard, blue eyes, wrinkles and
slightly crooked nose exactly as in the photo. Café portrait: he sits by a large
window with a cup of black coffee and an open hardcover book, a beige sweater
over a white collar, looking out of the window with a slight smile, soft overcast
daylight, 50mm lens, f/2, documentary style, natural skin, no readable lettering
or logos
```

![A man in a beige sweater sits by a café window with a cup of black coffee and an open book, looking out of the window](https://ai2face.com/_astro/cafe.OU0VIymj_Zxmyoo.jpg "A café by the window. Nano Banana 2")

## Where to run these prompts

All the prompts in this article work in AI2Face. It brings together [Nano Banana 2](/models/nano-banana-2), [Nano Banana Pro](/models/nano-banana-pro), [GPT Image](/models/gpt-image), [Seedream](/models/seedream) and other top AI models — cheaper than subscribing to each one separately. You can pay by card or crypto. Besides a subscription, there are credit packs: they don't expire at the end of the month, so you pay only for what you generate. You get welcome credits after signing up, so your first images are free.

## Bottom line

The key in a men's prompt is not letting the model “retouch” the face. Name the distinctive features in the first sentence and add “natural skin texture, visible pores and wrinkles, no retouching” to every prompt: in our test, that phrase is what gave the face its age back. The most reliable looks are business, B&W with side light and the café. In scenes with props — sports, garage, city — list “no brands, logos or lettering” explicitly: the model likes to decorate gloves and signs with other people's names. Men's looks in seasonal scenes are in our articles [autumn photoshoot prompt](/blog/osennyaya-fotosessiya-ii) and [New Year photoshoot prompt](/blog/novogodnyaya-fotosessiya-ii).

## FAQ

### How do I make a men's photoshoot with AI?

Upload a sharp, front-facing selfie in daylight, ask the model to keep the face in the first sentence of the prompt, and name the distinctive features: grey hair, beard, wrinkles. Then describe the look, setting, light and lens. Add a phrase about natural skin with pores and wrinkles to every prompt.

### Why does a man's face look airbrushed in AI images?

By default, the model makes a “perfect” portrait: it smooths the skin and removes wrinkles. In our test, the phrase “natural skin texture, visible pores and wrinkles, no retouching” gave the face its age back, while the words “flawless portrait” smoothed it out.

### What prompt works for a professional headshot for a résumé?

A chest-up portrait on a plain grey background, a dark suit, a white shirt, a slight three-quarter turn, a calm half-smile, soft key light and an 85mm lens. Plus the natural-skin phrase — otherwise the portrait looks retouched.

### How do I remove logos and lettering from men's photos?

Say explicitly what shouldn't be there — “no logos, brands or lettering” — and describe items as plain. In our test, a real brand showed up on the boxing gloves without that phrase, and didn't with it.

### Can I make an AI men's photoshoot for free?

Partly. AI2Face gives you welcome credits after signing up — enough for your first looks. A series of a dozen photos is paid in any service.

## Sources

- https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/image-generation
- https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/gemini/nano-banana-tips/