Dear diary, these new AI tools for photographers are amazing, but here’s why I won’t be using them

I just went through my saved list of tabs I saved under photography and I came across the on1 website. And boy oh boy their AI tool is amazing. Apparently I can swap the sky for something more amazing, houses and take things out and make everything look amazing. I can do auto people retouching and much more.

Now as a sort of tech nerd I feel this is ubercool. But as a photographer I feel this takes away of what a photographer is in the first place. When I go out shooting, there’re 2 scenarios that apply to me. Scenario 1 is that I just went out and shoot if I find something nice. I’m not planning for anything in particular. The other scenario, scenario 2 is where I do have a purpose of visiting a specific place. Like the one from Lendalfoot Bay, where I spent 2 hours at the beach waiting for the right moment, setting my tripod up and fight with serious bladder pains as I needed the toilet urgently. But of course there was one in sight.

Today, I could possible not even bother with a tripod. Just take a decent shot, then do everything via AI afterwards. Less freezing, no more wet feet/clothes and less time spent outside. Sounds really great doesn’t it? Apart from the fact that this is exactly what makes me happy. To go out, to wait for the perfect moment and to craft the best possible moment as I found it. People who hopefuly read my blog will know that I capture the moments in life as they happened. If I get this amazing sunset yeah I’m happy about it, and I use Lightroom only to assist bringing out highlights, without changing the whole composition of the photo.

Photography is an art form, an expression of the one who captured the moment. And I’m sorry. AI manipulated photos are not photos anymore, they’re artistic “paintings” that lost the magic of the moment.