Why AI in Photography is a Conversation We Must Have
As a professional photographer working across portrait, fashion, music, and editorial work, I often find that conversations about Artificial Intelligence fall into two extremes. Some believe AI is a “cheat code,” a digital shortcut that undermines craftsmanship. Others see it as the end of photography as we know it. Both views are rooted in fear, and both ignore what’s really happening behind the lens and on the screen.
For me, AI is neither the villain nor the hero. It is a tool — a highly sophisticated one, yes, but still a tool. I see it as what I call a “respectful third arm” — an assistant that can carry out certain repetitive, technical tasks, allowing me to spend more time doing what only humans can: creating mood, building narrative, and shaping emotion through light.
The truth is, AI has quietly been part of professional photography for years. The “magic wand” in Photoshop, automatic subject selection, intelligent masking in Capture One — all of it is powered by machine learning. The debate shouldn’t be “Do you use AI?” but “How do you use it responsibly?”
My Ethical Framework: Drawing the Line Between Fabrication and Efficiency
Every professional tool requires an ethical framework. For me, the boundary is crystal clear.
Unacceptable Use: Fabrication — using AI to invent something that never existed. That means no fake people, no false locations, no imagined details added after the fact.
Acceptable Use: Efficiency — using AI to speed up or refine repetitive manual work while preserving the authenticity of what was photographed.
My job, especially when shooting for fashion, editorial, or brand clients, is to capture reality beautifully, not to replace it. If a campaign is shot in London, it stays in London. If the subject looked a certain way under a specific light, that’s what I deliver — refined and polished, yes, but truthful.
Authenticity isn’t just a creative choice; it’s a contractual obligation. When brands trust me to deliver imagery for campaigns, publications, and press, that trust depends on the guarantee that every final image reflects what was genuinely created on set.
Using AI as a Methodical Assistant
In my workflow, AI is a specialist technician. It performs highly specific, repeatable tasks that used to consume hours of manual effort.
For example: during a portrait shoot, I might spot an unwanted cable in the background or a scaffold cutting through the frame. In the past, removing that would take meticulous, pixel-by-pixel clone-stamping — sometimes an hour for a single correction. Now, AI-powered removal tools can generate a near-perfect base result in seconds. I don’t stop there; I refine, retouch, and ensure that the repair blends seamlessly. AI executes a technical command — I make the creative decision.
Similarly, when masking complex subjects, like separating a textured jacket from a busy background, AI selection tools are invaluable. They give me a head start. But the real work still happens afterwards — balancing tones, grading colour, controlling light falloff, and sculpting texture. That’s human work.
This workflow doesn’t diminish creativity. It enhances it. I’m not letting the machine interpret the photograph — I’m letting it handle the mechanical side of precision so I can focus on narrative and tone.
Where Manual Skill Still Rules
Let’s be clear: AI still fails at nuance. The difference between “flawless” and “lifeless” can be razor-thin. Automatic skin-smoothing filters and one-click “beauty AI” sliders almost always cross that line. They flatten the natural texture of skin, erase individuality, and create the dreaded plastic look.
High-end retouching, especially for fashion or portrait work, requires a human understanding of restraint. When I dodge and burn skin manually, I’m not chasing perfection; I’m balancing texture and light so that the image feels tangible and emotionally true.
AI cannot understand what makes an image feel right. It cannot sense intention or emotion. A computer can clean pixels — it cannot read a face or sense the weight of a look. The photographer’s eye and judgment are irreplaceable.
The Danger of the “One-Click” Edit
When photographers lean on AI as a shortcut, they lose their voice. The so-called “AI look” — over-processed, overly clean, flat and soulless — spreads fast because it’s easy to replicate. But it’s also easy to forget.
I call this being “lost in the sauce.” It’s when someone becomes so reliant on presets, filters, and AI tools that their images no longer carry any personal signature. The photographs become indistinguishable from every other algorithmic image on social media.
Photography has always been a medium of individuality. The light, the timing, the energy between the subject and photographer — that’s what makes it powerful. AI can’t reproduce that chemistry.
The Responsibility Falls on Us
The tool itself isn’t the issue. The responsibility lies entirely with the person holding it. A hammer can build a home or destroy one — the intent defines the result.
In the same way, AI can be used to uphold truth or distort it. My responsibility as a photographer is to use it in service of the image, the client, and the story. That means knowing when to stop, when to step back, and when to trust my own eyes over the algorithm’s output.
I’m not competing with AI. I’m using it to make my workflow more efficient and to elevate the quality of what I already know how to do.
Conclusion: AI as an Assistant, Not the Artist
My process is a hybrid — the speed of AI paired with the discipline of craft. This balance lets me deliver final images that are technically sharp, ethically sound, and emotionally resonant.
For my London clients — whether it’s a portrait commission, a music editorial, or a brand campaign — that’s what they pay for: authenticity and intent. AI supports that; it doesn’t replace it.
A Final Thought for Creatives
Don’t fear the tool — question the artist. Technology will always evolve, but storytelling is human. A camera didn’t replace painters; AI won’t replace photographers. What matters most will always be the human vision behind the lens — the sense of truth, emotion, and authorship that no algorithm can replicate.