Monochrome Seated Portrait on a Vintage Sofa

# LOCKED MASTER PROMPT — MONOCHROME SEATED PORTRAIT ON A VINTAGE SOFA

## ROLE

You are a world-class editorial portrait photographer working in black-and-white 35mm film, and a set stylist who builds one composed, symmetrical interior around a single sitter.

Create a premium, photorealistic **high-contrast black-and-white medium-shot portrait** using the **ATTACHED REFERENCE IMAGE as the identity source**.

The defining idea of this image: the subject sits on a vintage patterned sofa in front of a symmetrical panelled wall — **legs crossed, one arm draped along the backrest**, looking straight into the lens with an intense, self-possessed gaze. Tailored light blazer, white shirt, dark tie with a silver clip, dark trousers. Soft, sculpting studio light. Fine 35mm grain. Timeless, elegant, still.

The output must look like a real film photograph captured on a high-end 35mm camera and printed with care — NOT like an AI-generated image, a 3D render, a modern digital shot with a vintage filter, or a costume tableau.

Aspect ratio: **2:3 vertical.** Resolution target: **4K.**

---

# 1. IDENTITY LOCK — ABSOLUTE PRIORITY

Use the person from the **ATTACHED REFERENCE IMAGE**. Preserve identity with maximum fidelity. DO NOT redesign, beautify, reinterpret, slim, widen, age, de-age, or idealize the subject.

**The subject's sex, gender presentation, age, ethnicity, skin tone and build are whatever the reference shows. Nothing in this prompt overrides the reference on any of these. The tailored wardrobe and the seated pose are a styling choice applied to whoever the reference shows — they do not imply, require or alter the subject's gender.**

Preserve exactly:

- Facial geometry and skull proportions
- Face shape and width-to-height ratio
- Forehead height and hairline shape, including any temple recession
- Brow ridge projection
- Eyebrow shape, thickness, density and spacing
- Eye shape, size, spacing, eyelid structure and under-eye character; iris rendered at its true tonal value in monochrome
- Nose bridge, tip and nostril structure
- Cheekbone height and projection
- Jawline definition and angle
- Chin shape and projection
- Lip shape, thickness and proportions
- Ear size, shape, position and attachment
- Natural facial asymmetry
- Skin tone value — how light or dark the skin renders in monochrome
- Natural skin texture, pores, lines, blemishes and surface irregularity
- Neck thickness, shoulder width, torso, limb and hand proportions — the body seated is the reference's body
- Hand size, finger length, knuckle structure and nail shape
- Apparent age
- Any moles, scars or distinguishing marks

The subject must remain unmistakably the same individual as the reference.

### HAIR — CONDITIONAL

Preserve the reference hairstyle exactly: the same length, volume, hairline, texture, parting and any greying. Do NOT shorten, lengthen, restyle, slick, straighten or curl it. Do NOT add or remove grey.

### FACIAL HAIR — CONDITIONAL

Facial hair appears **only if the reference shows it**. If present, preserve its exact length, density, greying and cheek line. If absent, add none.

### SKIN VALUE NOTE

When converting the reference skin tone to monochrome, preserve its **relative luminance**. A darker-skinned reference renders as a darker mid-tone, a lighter-skinned reference as a lighter mid-tone. Do NOT normalize every subject to the same grey value.

### EXPRESSION IS NOT IDENTITY

The gaze in Section 6 is a performed expression, produced by the reference person's own face — not by altering eye shape, lid structure, brow or jaw to manufacture intensity.

**IMPORTANT:** Identity is determined ONLY from the attached reference image. Do not borrow facial characteristics from any period icon, celebrity, model, example image, or visual reference.

---

# 2. CAMERA POSITION & ORIENTATION LOCK

### Camera

**Slightly below eye level** — approximately **3–6 degrees below** the seated subject's eye line, at roughly the height of the sofa's backrest top. The lens axis is horizontal or angled marginally upward. This is a seated portrait: the camera is low enough to look at the sitter, not down on them.

### Subject orientation

- The torso is rotated approximately **20–30 degrees** toward the side of the draped arm, opening the pose
- The head turns back toward the lens: near-frontal, rotated no more than **8 degrees**
- Lateral head tilt of approximately **2–5 degrees**
- Chin level

Do NOT shoot from above eye level — it flattens a seated sitter. Do NOT drop into a strong low angle. Do NOT tilt the camera (no dutch angle). Do NOT turn the head into a three-quarter or profile position. Do NOT square the torso flat to the lens. Do NOT introduce wide-angle distortion — the crossed legs and the near hand must not balloon.

---

# 3. FRAMING LOCK — CRITICAL

Use a **medium shot**, seated, from above the head to just below the crossed knees.

Show:

- The whole head with the full hair silhouette
- The full torso, blazer, shirt, tie and tie clip
- The arm draped along the backrest, from shoulder to hand
- The other arm, resting in the lap or on the crossed knee, with its hand visible
- The crossed legs, from hip to just below the upper knee
- The sofa: its backrest, the near armrest and the seat cushion beneath the sitter
- The symmetrical wall behind, with the sofa centred against it

The head (top of hair to chin) occupies approximately **17–21% of the total frame height**. The eye line sits approximately **22–26% down from the top of the frame**. The chin sits at approximately **35–39%** down from the top. The crossed knee sits at approximately **80–88%** down from the top. The sofa backrest top runs across the frame at approximately **38–44%**down from the top.

### HEADROOM LOCK

Leave approximately **9–13% of the total frame height** as wall above the top of the hair. The head must be fully inside the frame and must NOT be clipped by the upper edge.

### CROP LOCK

Do NOT crop the top of the head. Do NOT crop the draped hand or the lap hand. Do NOT crop above the crossed knee — the crossing must be visible. Do NOT extend below the lower shin into a full-body composition showing feet. Do NOT crop either shoulder. Do NOT tighten into a head-and-shoulders or chest-up composition.

---

# 4. SUBJECT POSITION

Place the head at approximately **44–50% of frame width** — marginally off-centre, toward the side away from the draped arm, so that the draped arm and the armrest fill the space on the other side. The sofa is centred in the frame and the wall's symmetry is centred behind it; the sitter's slight offset within that symmetry is the composition's tension.

Do NOT centre the head exactly on the wall's axis. Do NOT push the head to a frame edge. Do NOT let the sofa or the wall's symmetry drift off-centre.

---

# 5. POSE & SEATING LOCK — CRITICAL

### SEATING

- The subject sits back into the sofa, spine easy but upright, shoulders relaxed and open
- Weight settled; the pose is held, not perched

### LEGS — CROSSED

- Legs crossed **knee over knee**: one thigh lifted and laid across the other, the upper knee pointing toward the lens side
- The crossing is relaxed — the upper leg rests on the lower leg without strain
- Trousers fall cleanly over the crossed knee, with a natural crease

### DRAPED ARM

- One arm is raised and laid **along the top of the backrest**, elbow bent, forearm resting on the backrest's upper edge
- The hand hangs loosely over the backrest or rests open on it — relaxed, fingers softly curved, no grip
- The shoulder of this arm is open and slightly raised by the drape

### LAP ARM

- The other arm rests low: the hand on the crossed knee or in the lap, relaxed, fingers softly curved
- The forearm follows the thigh; the elbow rests near the hip or the armrest

### OVERALL

The read is **composed, self-possessed, at ease** — a person who has arranged themselves and is now still.

Do NOT uncross the legs, or cross at the ankle instead of the knee. Do NOT place both arms in the lap or both on the backrest. Do NOT let the draped hand grip the backrest, clench or splay. Do NOT put a hand on the face, chin, hip or in a pocket. Do NOT lean forward, slouch or sink into the sofa. Do NOT perch on the edge of the seat. Do NOT render a stiff, symmetrical, formal-portrait posture. Do NOT let the pose look strained or held with effort.

---

# 6. GAZE & EXPRESSION

The subject looks **directly into the lens**, with a steady, unbroken gaze. Both eyes are fully open and clearly readable, each carrying a single soft catchlight, high and toward the key side.

Expression:

- **Confident and intense** — a held, unflinching stare that reads as certainty rather than aggression
- Brow level to very slightly lowered
- Lips closed and relaxed, neutral, with a faint firmness at the corners
- Jaw settled, not clenched

Do NOT smile or show teeth. Do NOT produce a scowl, snarl, squint or theatrical glare. Do NOT produce a warm, friendly or approachable expression. Do NOT produce a seductive, smouldering or heavy-lidded look. Do NOT produce a blank, vacant or bored look. Do NOT direct the gaze away from the lens.

---

# 7. WARDROBE LOCK — CRITICAL

Tailored, **cut to the reference person's build**. In monochrome, each garment is defined by its **tonal value**.

### Blazer — light

- A **tailored blazer in a light tone** — reading in monochrome as a **pale grey, approximately 65–75% brightness**— cream, ivory, pale stone or light dove-grey in colour
- Fine wool, linen-wool or a lightweight suiting with a subtle visible weave
- Notch lapels of moderate width, pressed flat, clean roll line
- Structured shoulders, clean line, no wrinkling
- Worn **open**, both fronts hanging, revealing the shirt and tie
- One or two buttons visible, unfastened; no pocket square

### Shirt — white

- A **crisp white dress shirt**, the brightest garment in the frame, held just below clipping
- Spread or point collar, pressed, symmetrical, no gap at the neck
- Cuff visible at the draped wrist, approximately 1 cm beyond the blazer sleeve

### Tie — dark, with silver clip

- A **dark tie**, reading in monochrome as **near-black, approximately 10–18% brightness** — black, deep navy or deep charcoal in colour
- Plain silk, no pattern
- A neat symmetrical knot with a small dimple
- A **slim silver tie clip**, plain, positioned approximately one-third of the way down the visible tie, catching one small crisp specular

### Trousers — dark

- **Dark trousers**, reading in monochrome as **deep grey to near-black, approximately 12–22% brightness** — contrasting clearly with the light blazer
- Tailored, with a pressed crease, falling cleanly over the crossed knee
- Plain, no pattern

### Footwear

Out of frame.

The overall read: **dapper, restrained, precise** — the light blazer against dark tie and trousers is the image's tonal architecture.

Do NOT make the blazer dark, mid-grey or patterned. Do NOT make the trousers light, or the same tone as the blazer. Do NOT close or button the blazer. Do NOT add a pocket square, lapel pin, boutonnière or brooch. Do NOT use a patterned, striped, knitted, bow or novelty tie. Do NOT omit the tie clip or make it gold, black or ornate. Do NOT use a coloured, patterned or striped shirt. Do NOT add a waistcoat, coat, scarf, hat or gloves. Do NOT add a watch, ring, bracelet, chain, earrings or glasses unless present in the identity reference.

---

# 8. THE SOFA LOCK — CRITICAL

A **vintage patterned sofa**, the single piece of furniture in the frame.

### FORM

- A two- or three-seat sofa of mid-century or earlier design: a **straight or gently curved backrest** of moderate height, **rolled or squared armrests**, a deep seat cushion
- The backrest top is at roughly the sitter's mid-chest height when seated — high enough to drape an arm along
- Turned or tapered wooden legs may be visible at the very bottom of the frame or may be cropped

### UPHOLSTERY

- A **woven fabric with a period pattern** — a damask, a small floral, a medallion repeat or a subtle jacquard — rendered in monochrome as a **tone-on-tone mid-grey pattern, approximately 35–50% brightness**, with the motif reading as a slightly lighter figure on a slightly darker ground
- The pattern is **quiet**: it must read as texture and period character, never as a competing graphic
- Visible weave, slight wear at the arm and the seat edge, a soft sheen on the fibres where the key light grazes them — a real, used, well-kept piece
- No throw, cushion, blanket or fringe

### PLACEMENT

- Centred in the frame, parallel to the wall behind it, squared to the camera
- The sitter occupies one end, with the draped arm along the backrest toward the near armrest

Do NOT render a modern, minimalist, leather or plain sofa. Do NOT render a loud, high-contrast or large-scale pattern. Do NOT let the pattern's contrast approach the contrast of the face. Do NOT add cushions, throws, blankets or fringe. Do NOT angle the sofa away from the wall or off-centre. Do NOT render an armchair, a chaise, a bench or a stool.

---

# 9. THE WALL LOCK — CRITICAL

A **symmetrical wall** behind the sofa, filling the background.

### STRUCTURE

- A **panelled wall** — classical wainscot or full-height panelling — with **matching rectangular panels arranged symmetrically about the vertical centre of the frame**
- Moulding profiles crisp and shallow; a dado rail at roughly the sofa backrest height; a skirting board at the very bottom, mostly hidden by the sofa
- The centre axis of the panelling coincides with the centre of the sofa and the centre of the frame

### SURFACE AND TONE

- Painted, matte to eggshell, rendered in monochrome as a **mid grey, approximately 40–55% brightness** — lighter than the trousers and tie, darker than the blazer
- Slight tonal gradation from light falloff: marginally brighter on the key side, marginally darker on the far side
- No texture beyond the mouldings; no wallpaper, no pattern

### CONTENT

- Nothing on the wall — no picture, mirror, sconce, shelf or fixture

The wall is **architecture as a frame**: order, symmetry and quiet.

Do NOT render a plain seamless backdrop, a curtain or a draped cloth. Do NOT render wallpaper, brick, stone, concrete or wood grain. Do NOT render a window, door, fireplace, picture, mirror, sconce, shelf or fixture. Do NOT break the symmetry — panels, rails and mouldings mirror about the centre. Do NOT let the wall's brightness approach the blazer's or the shirt's. Do NOT let the wall carry a pattern.

---

# 10. LIGHTING LOCK — CRITICAL

**Soft, cinematic, sculpting studio light** — a large key with controlled fill.

### KEY

A large soft source — a **1.2–1.5 m octabox or softbox** — positioned approximately **40–50 degrees** to one side of the lens axis, on the side of the draped arm, and **30–40 degrees above** the seated eye level, angled down.

It produces:

- A broad, smooth wrap across the key side of the face — forehead, cheekbone, jaw
- A **defined, soft-edged shadow** on the far side of the face, with a clear nose shadow falling toward the far cheek — visible sculpting, not flat illumination
- Modelling that separates the brow ridge, cheekbones and jawline
- One soft catchlight in each eye, high and toward the key side
- A soft highlight on the shirt collar, the tie clip and the crest of the crossed knee
- Grazing light across the sofa fabric on the key side, revealing weave and pattern

### FILL

A large, weak fill from the opposite side, at a key-to-fill ratio of approximately **3:1 to 4:1**. The far side of the face is darker but fully readable, with skin texture and eye detail preserved.

### BACKGROUND

The key and fill spill onto the wall, lighting it evenly with a gentle falloff from the key side to the far side. No separate background light creating a hotspot.

### SEPARATION

No rim, hair or kicker light. Separation comes from tone — the light blazer against the mid-grey wall, the dark tie and trousers against the light blazer.

Do NOT use flat, on-axis or ring-light illumination. Do NOT use a hard, small source with sharp shadow edges. Do NOT lift the fill to erase the facial shadow. Do NOT crush the far side of the face into black. Do NOT add a rim, hair, kicker or background light. Do NOT create a spotlight, hotspot or vignette on the wall.

---

# 11. LIGHTING DIRECTION LOCK

The lighting setup must remain **identical across every generation**, regardless of changes in the reference person's gender, age, skin tone, hairstyle, or facial structure.

The identity changes. The **lighting does NOT change.** Key side, key angle, key height, source size and fill ratio stay fixed. Only the way the light falls across the individual's specific anatomy varies.

---

# 12. EXPOSURE & TONAL BALANCE LOCK — MONOCHROME

A **high-contrast black-and-white image** with a full, deliberate tonal architecture.

Approximate tonal placement, from brightest to darkest:

- **White shirt** — the brightest element, approximately **90–95%** brightness, just below clipping
- **Light blazer** — pale grey, approximately **65–75%**
- **Lit skin** — upper mid-tones, placed according to the reference's relative luminance
- **Wall** — mid grey, approximately **40–55%**
- **Sofa pattern** — mid grey, approximately **35–50%**
- **Shadow side of the face** — lower mid-tones, fully readable
- **Trousers** — deep grey, approximately **12–22%**
- **Tie and hair (if dark)** — near-black, approximately **10–18%**
- **Deepest shadows** — beneath the sofa, in the fold of the crossed legs, under the draped arm — near-black

Approximate distribution of the frame:

- Wall: **30–40%**
- Sofa: **15–25%**
- Blazer and shirt: **18–26%**
- Face, neck and hands: **8–12%**
- Tie and trousers: **10–16%**

Behavior:

- Contrast is **high**: deep, clean blacks and bright, textured whites coexist, with a rich mid-tone range between them
- The face carries the fullest tonal range in the image
- Nothing clips except, at most, a pinpoint on the tie clip
- Nothing is crushed: the tie, the trousers and the deepest shadows retain a trace of texture

Do NOT flatten the contrast into a soft grey image. Do NOT crush the trousers, tie or shadows to featureless black. Do NOT clip the shirt or the blazer. Do NOT let the wall approach the blazer's brightness. Do NOT let the sofa pattern's contrast compete with the face.

---

# 13. CAMERA LOOK — 35mm FILM

Classic **35mm black-and-white film** portraiture.

Focal length: **85mm** on full-frame 35mm. Aperture: **f/4 to f/5.6** — the face and the whole seated figure sharp, the wall gently softened.

Focus:

- Critical focus on the **eyes**
- Both eyes, brows, nose, lips, skin texture, hairline and facial hair fully sharp
- The tie clip, the collar, the draped hand and the lap hand sharp
- The crossed knee, marginally closer to the camera, sharp
- The sofa's near armrest and backrest sharp to marginally soft
- The wall behind, **gently out of focus** — its mouldings clearly readable but their edges softened

Do NOT use very shallow depth of field that softens the hands, the knee or the sofa. Do NOT stop down so far that the wall's mouldings are as crisp as the face. Do NOT render visible bokeh shapes. Do NOT introduce lens flare, or a heavy applied vignette — any edge darkening is the natural falloff of the lens and the light.

---

# 14. IMAGE QUALITY — FILM CHARACTER

Photorealistic at 4K, with the material character of **scanned 35mm black-and-white film**.

- Ultra-detailed natural skin with visible pores across the forehead, nose and cheeks
- Fine facial texture — lines, subtle irregularity, a faint sheen on the forehead and nose — as the reference carries it
- Individually resolvable hair strands, with the hairline and any greying rendered as individual lighter hairs
- Facial hair, where the reference shows it, as discrete hairs with visible skin beneath
- Hand skin with knuckle creases, tendon ridges and natural nails
- Crisp fabric rendering: blazer weave, shirt cotton, tie silk sheen, trouser crease, sofa jacquard and fibre sheen
- Metal rendering: the tie clip with a clean edge and one crisp specular
- Crisp moulding profiles on the wall, softened only by focus
- Physically believable soft shadow falloff
- Natural highlight roll-off with a slight film shoulder
- **Fine, even 35mm film grain** at low-to-moderate intensity, most visible in the mid-tones of the wall and the sofa, finer in the highlights — organic and irregular, never digital

No plastic, waxy or airbrushed skin. No skin smoothing or blemish removal. No excessive sharpening or edge halos. No artificial HDR appearance. No beauty-filter effect. No CGI, 3D-render or video-game surface quality. No digital "vintage" artefacts — dust, scratches, light leaks, frame borders, fake fading, sepia tint.

---

# 15. MONOCHROME GRADE LOCK

The image is **true black and white**. There is no colour anywhere in the frame.

Grade character: neutral silver-gelatin, crisp and clean, with a slightly steep mid-tone curve for punch and a gentle shoulder that protects the shirt and blazer.

Do NOT output a colour image. Do NOT output a partially desaturated or muted-colour image. Do NOT apply sepia, selenium, cyanotype, warm or cool toning. Do NOT apply selective colour or a colour accent anywhere. Do NOT lift the blacks into a faded, matte or filmic-crush look. Do NOT flatten the contrast into a soft grey tonality. Do NOT allow banding in the wall's tonal gradation.

---

# 16. VISUAL HIERARCHY

**Eyes → Face, sculpted by the key → White collar, dark tie and silver clip → Light blazer against dark trousers → The draped arm and the crossed knee → The sofa's quiet pattern → The symmetrical wall**

The face is the subject. The tonal architecture of the wardrobe — light over dark — is the structure. The sofa and the wall are the room: order, period and stillness.

---

# 17. NON-NEGOTIABLE RULES

These must NEVER change between generations:

1. Identity, sex, gender presentation, age, skin value, build, hands and skin texture from the reference; wardrobe and pose applied to whoever the reference shows.
2. Hair and facial hair from the reference; facial hair only if present.
3. True black-and-white output, neutral, untoned.
4. Camera 3–6 degrees below the seated eye line, at backrest height.
5. Torso rotated 20–30 degrees toward the draped-arm side; head near-frontal within 8 degrees.
6. Direct, intense, unbroken eye contact; closed lips; no smile.
7. Medium shot from above the head to just below the crossed knee.
8. Head 17–21% of frame height; eye line at 22–26% from the top.
9. 9–13% headroom; head at 44–50% of frame width.
10. Legs crossed knee over knee, upper knee toward the lens side.
11. One arm draped along the backrest, hand relaxed; the other hand on the knee or in the lap.
12. Light blazer worn open, 65–75% brightness; white shirt just below clipping.
13. Dark plain tie, 10–18% brightness, with a slim silver tie clip.
14. Dark trousers, 12–22% brightness, contrasting with the blazer.
15. Vintage patterned sofa, tone-on-tone mid-grey pattern, centred and parallel to the wall.
16. Symmetrical panelled wall, mid grey, mirrored about the centre, nothing hung on it.
17. Large soft key at 40–50 degrees off axis on the draped-arm side, 30–40 degrees above eye level.
18. Key-to-fill 3:1 to 4:1; defined soft nose shadow; far side readable.
19. No rim, hair, kicker or background light.
20. High contrast with deep clean blacks and textured whites; nothing crushed, nothing clipped.
21. 85mm at f/4–f/5.6; figure sharp, wall gently soft.
22. Fine, even 35mm grain; no digital vintage artefacts.
23. No text, logos, watermarks, props, second figures or accessories.
24. 2:3 vertical aspect ratio at 4K.

---

# 18. REFERENCE PRIORITY SYSTEM

### PRIORITY 1 — IDENTITY

Face, hair, facial hair, skin value, skin texture, build, hands, age, sex, gender presentation and natural likeness from the reference.

### PRIORITY 2 — POSE AND EXPRESSION

The crossed legs, the draped arm, the lap hand and the direct intense gaze.

### PRIORITY 3 — TONAL ARCHITECTURE

The light blazer, white shirt, dark tie and dark trousers at their locked brightness values; the high-contrast monochrome grade.

### PRIORITY 4 — LIGHTING

The large soft sculpting key, the 3:1–4:1 fill and the absence of rim light.

### PRIORITY 5 — SET

The vintage patterned sofa and the symmetrical panelled wall, centred and squared.

### PRIORITY 6 — COMPOSITION, CAMERA AND FILM

The medium-shot framing, the slightly-low camera, the 85mm f/4–f/5.6 look and the 35mm grain.

If the reference image conflicts with any of these instructions, **preserve identity, anatomy, hair, facial hair, skin value, build and natural likeness from the reference, and preserve pose, expression, wardrobe tones, lighting, set, composition, camera, film character and grade from this prompt.**

---

# 19. NEGATIVE CONSTRAINTS

### Identity errors

Do NOT generate:

- A change in the subject's sex, gender presentation, age, ethnicity, skin value or build from the reference
- A generic "dapper" face, body or gender implied by the wardrobe rather than taken from the reference
- A restyled, slicked, shortened or lengthened hairstyle; added or removed grey
- Added or removed facial hair
- Altered eye, lid, brow or jaw structure to manufacture intensity
- An aged, de-aged, beautified, slimmed, widened or idealized face
- A body build not matching the reference
- A normalized skin value that ignores the reference's relative luminance

### Pose and seating errors

Do NOT generate:

- Uncrossed legs, or legs crossed at the ankle
- Both arms in the lap or both on the backrest
- A draped hand gripping, clenching or splaying
- A hand on the face, chin, hip or in a pocket
- A forward lean, a slouch, a sink or a perch
- A stiff, symmetrical, formal posture
- A strained or effortful pose
- Extra, missing, fused or bent-backward fingers
- Hands scaled wrongly relative to the face
- Legs or arms of impossible length or angle

### Expression errors

Do NOT generate:

- A smile or visible teeth
- A scowl, snarl, squint or theatrical glare
- A warm, friendly or approachable expression
- A seductive, smouldering or heavy-lidded look
- A blank, vacant or bored look
- A gaze away from the lens

### Wardrobe errors

Do NOT generate:

- A dark, mid-grey or patterned blazer
- Light trousers, or trousers matching the blazer's tone
- A closed or buttoned blazer
- A pocket square, lapel pin, boutonnière or brooch
- A patterned, striped, knitted, bow or novelty tie
- A missing, gold, black or ornate tie clip
- A coloured, patterned or striped shirt
- A waistcoat, coat, scarf, hat or gloves
- A watch, ring, bracelet, chain, earrings or glasses not in the reference
- Wrinkled, creased or ill-fitting tailoring
- Visible shoes or feet

### Set errors

Do NOT generate:

- A modern, minimalist, leather or plain sofa
- An armchair, chaise, bench or stool
- A loud, high-contrast or large-scale upholstery pattern
- Cushions, throws, blankets or fringe on the sofa
- A sofa angled off the wall or off-centre
- A plain seamless backdrop, curtain or draped cloth
- Wallpaper, brick, stone, concrete or wood-grain wall
- A window, door, fireplace, picture, mirror, sconce, shelf or fixture
- Asymmetric panelling or a symmetry axis off the frame centre
- A wall as bright as the blazer or the shirt
- A second piece of furniture, a rug with a visible pattern, a plant or any prop

### Composition and camera errors

Do NOT generate:

- A camera above eye level, or a strong low angle
- A dutch or tilted angle
- A three-quarter or profile head position
- A torso squared flat to the lens
- A head-and-shoulders, chest-up or full-body crop
- A cropped head, hand, shoulder or crossed knee
- A head centred exactly on the wall's axis, or pushed to an edge
- Wide-angle distortion of the knee or the near hand
- Very shallow depth of field softening hands, knee or sofa
- A wall as crisp as the face
- Visible bokeh shapes
- Lens flare or a heavy applied vignette

### Lighting, tonal and grade errors

Do NOT generate:

- Flat, on-axis or ring-light illumination
- A hard, small source with sharp shadows
- Fill lifted to erase the nose shadow
- A far side of the face crushed to black
- A rim, hair, kicker or background light
- A spotlight, hotspot or vignette on the wall
- Soft, low-contrast grey tonality
- Crushed trousers, tie or shadows
- A clipped shirt or blazer
- Any colour, tint, tone or colour accent
- Sepia, selenium, cyanotype, warm or cool toning
- Lifted, faded or matte blacks
- Banding in the wall gradation

### Rendering and film-character errors

Do NOT generate:

- Plastic, waxy or airbrushed skin
- Beauty-filter smoothing or blemish removal
- Facial hair as a flat mask; grey hair as a tint
- Digital vintage artefacts — dust, scratches, light leaks, frame borders, fake fading
- Over-sharpened edges or halos
- Artificial HDR appearance
- Heavy digital noise mistaken for film grain
- Asymmetrical or misaligned eyes caused by generation error
- Mismatched, missing or duplicated catchlights
- Deformed ears; distorted teeth
- Melted or discontinuous hair
- A tie clip that floats, clips through the tie or lacks a specular
- Upholstery pattern that warps, tiles visibly or ignores the cushion's form
- CGI, 3D render or video-game look
- Illustration, painting or stylized rendering

---

# FINAL INSTRUCTION

Create the image as if the **same photographer, same room, same vintage sofa, same symmetrical panelled wall, same large soft key, same 35mm camera and film, same light blazer, white shirt, dark tie and silver clip, same crossed-leg draped-arm pose, same framing and same high-contrast monochrome print** photographed a completely different person — whoever the reference shows.

Only the **identity of the subject** should change.

The result must belong to a single, consistent editorial portrait series — not a set of unrelated AI generations.

**IDENTITY CHANGES. EVERYTHING ELSE STAYS LOCKED.**

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