Photography and the Rise of A.I. (a perspective)

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Music licensed with Epidemic Sound:
'Insight' by Megan Wofford

In this video I offer a perspective on photography and how it might be affected by the rise of A.I.

#photography #artificialintelligence #midjourney

[ImagesByJJ]

My biggest concern for photography is that we just get so fed up with images everywhere and all the time. We lose the appetite... But maybe it is all fine. The already endless stream of millions of images on social media, is so shallow. So hopefully photography will survive in print and books. Print your photos. Give them to someone who actually cares. That's it. And forget "fame" on IG, Facebook, Youtube ... It's pointless....

[christopherbgriffith]

As a software engineer and photographer, a number of friends have asked me about my predicted impacts of AI on photography. My take is that stock photography will likely finish it’s slow death because the types of things it’s used for will be more efficiently made by AI. But there will be weddings and events, people who want a photo of themselves of their loved ones, and many other genres that can’t be faked because they capture a specific moment in time.
I think AI might actually be an interesting tool for concepting and mood boarding, allowing photographers to explore creative possibilities faster than having to do them manually.

[PLANETWATERMELON]

Never fails. I don’t know anyone who can speak about pretty much anything with such intellect and simplicity. His talent goes way beyond his photography. Sean’s narration is masterful and inspiring.

[robertmilici]

When commercial photography began to switch from film to digital in the 90’s we lost a lot of clients that went “in house” because they felt they could save money and do it themselves. It changed professional photography forever. More recently, phones and Instagram have changed professional photography forever, again. Each change that makes it easier for anyone to do it, changes professional photography and slowly chips away at the validity of the profession. But, I see it as a positive. I see it bringing about the resurgence of photography in some of its original formats and creating a separation between the photographers that can do it, and those that can’t. Having Ai as a barometer will only strengthen photography in its purest form, photography that can be considered art.

[oldschoolcollodion]

I love this so much! You’re always setting the record straight in a very logical and respectful way.

[upupawayandbeyond]

You remain as my favorite photographer of this generation, not for any silly reason. This video is another clear example why. Such a down to earth and human way of seeing things. Thanks for another great uplifting content. 😊🙏🏻

[adm]

Indeed. I paint. People thought painting was dead when photography came along, but it's still here and going strong. Another, less related, example is that more candles are sold now than even before we had electric light.

[Selfpowered]

Thanks Sean, as a consumer - I don't want CGI to represent products because I want to know what they actually look like instead of what they might look like. Similarly many genres of photography deal with capturing a moment thinking about portrait and wedding photography specifically, and generating the moment instead of capturing it won't hold long term value because it won't have any memories or meaning behind it.

[elivegaphotography]

I like the way Sean is addressing this current subject. In my book, Right Brain Photography (Be an artist first), I talk about heavily post-processed images. I say it's a different form of art; we just don't have a new name/word for it. So, we continue calling that too "Photography." I talk about creative ways of creating "right brain" images using creative in-camera techniques, rather than relying on computer-generated manipulation.

[TheTAOLounge]

Spot on, Sean. Spot on. Indeed you had to present something about that matter. Once again you did it. Diplomatically and, as always, elegantly.
We'll have to adapt, be vigilant, and keep delivering the real stuff.
Thanks.
Un abrazo,
Eric

[Bernardillo]

Very well constructed piece Sean bravo for bringing this subject up and giving a very unique take on this. As you say its new technology and weve been here before but never will it replace the physical human element, we do have to evolve and learn to embrace new things and adapt if needed to secure the future of the art.

[GrantSR]

I love that you called the 3D graphics person a "computer artist, " because it is still an art, and the images are still an art form.

[fototripper]

Couldn't agree more Sean. In landscape photography I think there'll be a demand to see beautiful photos of real places under real light that a human can actually visit and have a chance of seeing that place under similar conditions. As for the 'fake' work, I think as long as it's disclosed and credit is given for scraped work, there should be no limits. Same with composites put together in Photoshop.

[BeauHannamGuitars]

"How it's made, matters deeply". Well said.

[laideae]

Usually skip videos claiming art, photography or designers are dead due to AI, but your voice always brings something more real to the discussion and I had to listen to you. Glad I did. We think about the same lines.

[kennethpaul]

Sean, I think you are spot on with this! I really can't add anything more. I so enjoy your videos, always near perfectly in line with my way of thinking but in a way I would never be able to put into words as well as you do. I look forward to each and every one. Thank you!.

[AliasJimWirth]

The philosophic photographer. Down to earth with keen insight, logically expressed. I agree with most of what you said, but I respect all of what you said. Thank you, Sean, for addressing this topic. I believe it is on the minds of many.

[studiokaufman]

Exceptionally well presented. I recall (from my feeble memory) when I thought Photoshop was evil, and then I realized Photoshop’s “Dodge and Burn tools” were no different than Ansel Adams’ darkroom techniques, but with “layers”, I could remember and repeat my steps. Take ANY Ansel Adams photograph: can you imagine what it would take to make even two prints!

I commend you, life will go on, and technology, simply, advances: from a stick of graphite to a ball point pen to an Apple “Pencil” on an iPad to…

[sbai]

Thanks Sean, in the end, the craft of photography will prevail. A real image, captured skilfully is what matters.

[TheArtist]

Very well said Sean, I loved your perspective on this. I agree, real images are very different from something generated with AI. I do believe that there might well be an oversaturation of AI images in the future, that would make real photography even more valuable in the sea of computer generated imagery. Also, as AI improves, so does AI that can detect whether an image is real or generated. There will most definitely be very good ways to distinguish real photographs from AI in future, so much so that AI images could immediately be classified and labeled as such upon upload to the web