Respecting Professionals

I am invited to speak at a business forum in spring 2026. The organizers asked for a high-definition photo of me for the forum’s website. The thing is, I have very few formal photos; I nearly always use my passport photo (with a tie) for such purposes.

At first, I thought of using AI to alter that existing formal photo, change the background, maybe the pose, and create another formal photo for the forum’s website. But then I thought of my principle of delegating things to professionals. Leaving things to specialists means respecting their work. At the end of the day, this is what my speech at the forum is going to be about - respecting the pros. Eventually, the forum respected me as a pro and invited me, not an amateur claiming he owns the moon and the sky.

I recalled a small photo studio a few blocks from where I currently live (I work/live abroad now). An old man runs it, not speaking any English. The studio has a rating of 4.9 (out of 5) on Google. I don’t speak his language, and he doesn’t speak mine. Perfect. Let’s go.

Professionals understand each other without speaking the language. He managed to explain how to sit, how much to smile, where to turn my head, and when to be quiet. I managed to understand all that.

The old-school chap was surprised I did not need printed versions. I asked for two versions, and we jointly selected the two we thought were better. I left my email, and we shook hands. “Google Translate,” he told me, probably referring to our future email correspondence. “Ok,” I replied internationally.

He eventually sent me several versions (instead of just the two I paid for), politely asking which one I liked the most. The photos were great - professional, with proper lighting, proper posing, and a proper background. If not for the guy in the photos, you’d call them perfect.

See what happened? I chose a professional - I received quality. As a true professional, he overdelivered. Not only was the quality impeccable and he delivered more versions, but he also took the time to translate his message to politely ask which version I liked best. Because he cares about his work and his quality. Knowing that I am a foreigner, not his regular client, maybe even using his service for the first and last time - doesn’t matter. He broadcasted the quality he is used to. He even made me love being photographed. Impossible.

Looking at my photo, sipping my Negroni.