A Commercial Photographer’s Take on When to Use AI (and When Not To)

By

On the left, a woman in a flowing white dress sits on a small rock in calm water. On the right, a woman in a silky cream camisole and beige pants stands indoors near a round mirror, looking to the side.

Last year, a client came to me with a straightforward brief: they needed a full lookbook for their new clothing line. But there was a catch. “We don’t want a shoot,” they said. “Just take our phone photos and make them look professional with AI.” I could have said no. Instead, I said yes -- and it changed how I think about my entire career.

[Read More]


from PetaPixel

Comments

  1. BeatColorMay 11, 2026 at 2:59 AM

    A commercial photographer’s experience shows that AI photo editing can be a powerful tool when used to enhance real photography, especially in cases where clients want to upgrade phone-shot images into professional-looking visuals. However, it also highlights an important boundary: AI should support the creative process rather than completely replace a proper photo shoot when quality, control, and artistic intent matter. In the end, knowing when to use AI—and when not to—is becoming a key skill for modern photographers. Learn more here: this website

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Wet Plate Portrait of Greta Thunberg

By
Image
Greta Thunberg exploded into the public consciousness last month after the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist gave an impassioned and scathing speech to world leaders at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York. Earlier this month, wet plate photographer Shane Balkowitsch got 20 minutes with Thunberg at Standing Rock and used the time to make 2 wet plate portraits of her. Balkowitsch had been at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in the Dakotas to shoot portraits of Native Americans for his project “ Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective .” “I heard that Greta was going to Standing Rock,” Balkowitsch tells PetaPixel. “I reached out to my friends down there and wanted to see if she could come to my studio. Her schedule was too tight for a trip to Bismarck, so I offered to take my portable darkroom and chemicals and gear to Standing Rock, [saying] if “I can get 15 minutes, we could immortalize Greta in the historic photographic process of silver on gla...
Read more

Khloe Kardashian Brings Own Lighting to DMV for Driver’s License Photo

By
Image
Here’s an unusual idea that you may only be able to pull off if you’re rich, famous, and well-connected: socialite Khloe Kardashian wanted the perfect driver’s license photo, so she decided to bring her own portrait lighting and makeup artist to the DMV. In a recent episode of the reality TV show Keeping Up With the Kardashians , Kardashian brought lighting director Landon Hosto and her friend Malika Haqq to the DMV to help improve her driver’s license photo. After getting touched up by Haqq, Kardashian posed for her official portrait while Hosto held up a giant ring light in front of her for the DMV camera to shoot through. Kardashian was pleased with the way her photo turned out. Getting a driver’s license photo shot at the DMV is often a painful experience involving long waits and an ugly photo, but apparently you can overcome at least one of those issues if you’re a celebrity with a TV show named after you. (via E! News via DIYP ) Image credits: Still frames from Keepi...
Read more