I often get asked if people think that AI will take away my job as a photographer. Here is my take on Hiring a Photographer vs AI. I'd say there are certain aspects where it may affect me and certain where I won't. I'm also seeing changes already in the industry which I'll talk about below.
Hiring a Photographer vs AI
I can definitely see AI affecting my demand for work as a headshot photographer. I think that for a lot of people, simply uploading a photograph and seeing what AI creates will be enough. Will those people have hired a photographer in the first place? I think the answer is that the vast majority would not have hired a photographer anyways, and would have been more than content with uploading that OK photo from their cousins wedding.
Personally, I can tell when a photo looks AI - it looks a little too perfect, the background is just that little bit off and there seems to be a generic feel to the photo. And you know what, for a lot of people that's probably just fine.
It's probably not the best choice in professions where you may be hired based on your personality and where you want to connect with your client. Would I hire an interior decorator with an AI, generic looking photo that says nothing about them? Probably not. Would I hire a window cleaner? Maybe. I think it depends.
But for family photos, you are really capturing a moment. I *know* that in our society there is a lot of pressure on creating a perfect photo to show off your perfect family. But the truth is that there is no perfect family and kids are kids. And I think perfectly posed family photos are falling a little bit aside. In an almost anti-AI stance I am seeing more film cameras, more skewed angle photos, more grit and a lot more realness. Now this 'realness' is still probably manufactured or directed but it is a lot more real than plugging photos into a photo generator to create a fake photo.
And I think this is what it comes down to. Do you want to create real moments you can capture or a perfect picture that is devoid of any memories or feelings? When you go to Paris there is a feeling that comes with it. You can generate a photo of you in front of the Eiffel tower but when you look at it, what are you going to feel? It's not real. I'd honestly feel depressed if all my 'memories' were AI generated. I'm not saying you have to hire a photographer but take photos of real moments.
We have phone cameras, but photographers are still busy. Creating beautiful photos is an art and a skill beyond the type of camera you own.
Where has AI changed what I do already? I use AI to make basic low level edits to my photos. I'm talking white balance, exposure, etc. Once that is done I apply my fine edits to every photo to give them that wow feeling. I also use AI within Lightroom or Photoshop for healing edits, removing distractions, etc.
Do I use AI for other things in my professional life? Sometimes I use it to create blog posts, but as you can tell this one is definitely NOT AI generated! That's about it. I'm sure there are a lot of photographers using it in other ways but honestly I feel a little icky about it. Environmentally it just seems terrible and it's kind of creepy.
How do you feel about AI? Are photographers doomed or will real moments rule forever?
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