How to be a Photographer in an AI World

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 105mm f/1.4E ED

06/28/2023 09:53:20 AM · #1

This video has a variety of useful tips on how to cope with AI as a photographer.

https://youtu.be/Nm_dvaBlcwg

p.s. I'm highly amused by the hypothesis that your new consumer base is going to want you to go back to film photography. Good luck, folks!

ErinKirsten

Nikon Z9

06/28/2023 12:02:52 PM · #2

Originally posted by posthumous:

Can you imagine!? Where would people go for developing? Guess I should have held on to my old Nikon F4, loved that camera.

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 105mm f/1.4E ED

06/28/2023 01:24:31 PM · #3

Originally posted by ErinKirsten:

Where would people go for developing?

Are you kidding? Go out there and buy some chemicals and black curtains!! ;)

ErinKirsten

Nikon Z9

06/28/2023 02:13:18 PM · #4

Originally posted by posthumous:

Originally posted by ErinKirsten:
Where would people go for developing?

Are you kidding? Go out there and buy some chemicals and black curtains!! ;)

Oh I didn't say me . .. I said people. They don't teach developing film in high school any more. Now that I have more time on my hands (being an empty nester), I would have a blast being in a dark room with nothing but time on my hands to play. Not to mention they'd likely have to put a warning label not to drink the contents.

tanguera

Nikon D750

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED

06/28/2023 02:31:43 PM · #5

To be fair, we've been using AI in photography for years now. Anyone using most 3rd party filter, does.

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

06/28/2023 02:35:13 PM · #6

Fill-um... how quaint!
I'm sure that there will be some customers to whom photogs can market a film-based process, selling it as somehow more "real." But in general, the way forward is not backward. We, as digital photographers, are going to have to learn to coexist with AI.

2mccs

Sony Alpha a7 II

Sony Sonnar T* FE 55mm f1.8 ZA

06/28/2023 02:44:50 PM · #7

Film photography is taught in our local community colleges and universities. Anyone can take the classes. I have taken 35 mm black and white film photography as well as large format camera classes. Also I was lucky to be close to a college that offered classes in making digital negatives as well as alternative printing (cyanotype, gum bichromate, palladium and a few others). The chemicals for black and white film are sold at a couple of places in town so they are still readily available and the chemicals for alternative printing can be purchased online. There is a large active community of photographers working with alternative photography. Film is even considered alternative now. Anyone interested in film photography might check their local colleges to see it is offered.

2mccs

Sony Alpha a7 II

Sony Sonnar T* FE 55mm f1.8 ZA

06/28/2023 03:34:10 PM · #8

here is a sample of some of the alternative work being done.

https://www.sohophoto.com/2022/11/06/2022-alternative-processes-competition/

Message edited by author 2023-06-28 15:35:35.

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED

06/28/2023 03:39:15 PM · #9

Originally posted by 2mccs:

here is a sample of some of the alternative work being done.

https://www.sohophoto.com/2022/11/06/2022-alternative-processes-competition/

brilliant. if i were a gen z-er interested in photography I would be exploring these methods.

And here is an amazing photographer in black and white film

https://www.nickhinch.com/

tanguera

Nikon D750

06/28/2023 05:33:39 PM · #10

An excellent video of how photographers can peacefully co-exist with AI.

NikonJeb

Nikon D850

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f3.5-5.6G ED VR

06/28/2023 06:06:35 PM · #11

Originally posted by posthumous:

Much like I've the watched automotive field change in my half century career as both a classic/antique car restorer, as well as an emissions and electronic engine management mechanic, I'm kind of amused at the noise, smoke, and commotion with AI and the "threat" it poses to photography.

It's here. It's an evolving thing and it's a natural progression. I've listened to "real" photographers bemoan the "good ol' days" of film and talk about how digital will never take hold and produce work like film did.

Yeah, okay.

I've listened to the same photographers talk about how they'll help newcomers 'Get that camera off "P" and into "M" so they can be proper photographers.

Yeah, okay.

Funny, I got this electronic whiz-bang, multi-processing $3K+ camera that I utilize its multiple capabilities to make photography easier, and better than my old manual film cameras. Why on earth wouldn't I avail myself of the capabilities of one of the best DSLRs ever made????

I don't need to have my camera set to "M" to shoot, and since I've got my own semi-auto default settings, I get the shot at times where I wouldn't have had I not been in a position to just flip my camera on and shoot on the spot.

Regular people can now be adequate photographers for their general needs, it doesn't cost a lot, take a lot of time to review the results or need toxic chemical usage.

I'm a photographer, not a chemist, I never wanted to develop my own film even back then. I wanted to be out shooting.

I thought it was interesting that the premise right out of the gate with this video is "How to beat AI.".

What???? It's the ongoing evolution of imagery. There will always be cameras, and there will always be people who just want that 'cause it suits them and their needs.

So I'm neither going to herald it nor condemn it......I'm just going to watch, curiously, how it continues to progress and learn a little here and there as I have interest and need of its benefits.

One of the plug-ins I use has "AI" as a suffix and it works nicely to help me clean up an otherwise not so great image.

Nobody is going to force anyone who doesn't want it to use it.

The folks that work in the digital realm are going to need to deal with this as the scope of their work changes, but as I learned with cars, if you embrace, learn about, and progress along with the changes, it can work out just fine. It's funny, but the computer geeks I know that are *really* good are generally older than the usual "whiz kid".

I'm an old fart who grew up with generators and carburetors on cars, and I just finished synchronizing a pair of them on an old Triumph yesterday. I also just fixed a late model Mini that came in last week with 21 trouble codes in its diagnostic computer's memory.

My first camera was a Brownie, my mom had a Rolleiflex, an Agfa twin lens reflex, and a Kodak bellows portable camera.

They're a world apart from my D850.

I don't see anything but a new avenue opening up in the imagery realm. Can't wait to see it continue to evolve.

Obviously, just my $0.02 US, YMMV.....