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My take as a hobby photographer (3 years). I started doing photography as a means of staying sane during COVID lockdowns. It has been a great way to get me out

My take as a hobby photographer (3 years). I started doing photography as a means of staying sane during COVID lockdowns. It has been a great way to get me outside and moving (mostly in nature) when there was not much else to do. Having said all that, I think the real value in photography is the doing itself. Yes, the profit generated by each photograph will go down to zero, but I think the real value for people will come from the experience of going out and making a photo. My most memorable photograph is waking up at sunset in the middle of the mountains only to see the sun shine on a giant piece of rock. The photos I took are good, but you can just google it and you will see thousands of them. The photos I took are just a reminder of me running out of the tent to stare at the beauty of nature. AI will never give me that. Not because it can’t generate a better photo, but because it can’t generate the pain on my back from a heavy backpack. Photography thought me how to look for those odd moments at sunset/sunrise, weird cloud formations that make the rest of the experience that much more enjoyable.

NegativeK 3y ago
Photography hobbyists aren't likely to stick with the activity unless they like the doing (or the fact that they can point to something they made, even if they're annoyed by the process) -- I agree. So, naturally I agree that AI can't replace that. But people who are making photographs for others to consume (not you; not me) are what the grandparent comment are referring to. AI is definitely going to squeeze them very hard, unless they're generating something AI doesn't.
- twoWhlsGud 3y ago
  Yes, and particularly in the case of commercial landscape work. People photography, however, might actually be helped out more than hurt. Imagine all the post-processing you could do to "clean up" wedding photographs, for instance. Still need a photographer that is good at capturing the "decisive moment"(1) - so that skill might be more centered going forward... (1) E.g. "Sharpness is a bourgeois concept" might become "Sharpness is no longer even a bourgeois concept" : )
- girament 3y ago
  One of the main sources of income for professional photographers is wedding photography. Ceremony, party, some shots at some park, ... It pays well, but taking really good pictures is also incredibly hard. You need to be at the right place at the right time, correct setting, lens etc all ready, and then capture exactly the things that matter. Her look over her shoulder towards the groom. Some guest laughing at grandmas joke. A bridesmaid shedding a tear. It's not about the scenery. Obviously you can fake all of that. It's about the interactions between the people, and those split-second moments representing the feelings of the people involved. Good look getting that with AI.

NegativeK 3y ago

Photography hobbyists aren't likely to stick with the activity unless they like the doing (or the fact that they can point to something they made, even if they're annoyed by the process) -- I agree. So, naturally I agree that AI can't replace that. But people who are making photographs for others to consume (not you; not me) are what the grandparent comment are referring to. AI is definitely going to squeeze them very hard, unless they're generating something AI doesn't.

twoWhlsGud 3y ago
Yes, and particularly in the case of commercial landscape work. People photography, however, might actually be helped out more than hurt. Imagine all the post-processing you could do to "clean up" wedding photographs, for instance. Still need a photographer that is good at capturing the "decisive moment"(1) - so that skill might be more centered going forward... (1) E.g. "Sharpness is a bourgeois concept" might become "Sharpness is no longer even a bourgeois concept" : )
girament 3y ago
One of the main sources of income for professional photographers is wedding photography. Ceremony, party, some shots at some park, ... It pays well, but taking really good pictures is also incredibly hard. You need to be at the right place at the right time, correct setting, lens etc all ready, and then capture exactly the things that matter. Her look over her shoulder towards the groom. Some guest laughing at grandmas joke. A bridesmaid shedding a tear. It's not about the scenery. Obviously you can fake all of that. It's about the interactions between the people, and those split-second moments representing the feelings of the people involved. Good look getting that with AI.