AI AND THE FUTURE OF WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
A couple of disclaimers to start off this post about the use of AI in wedding photography. First…There is not one single photograph in this entire post. That’s right. Every single image that you see herein was completely computer-generated using AI (Artificial Intelligence) technology.
Second…I really have no vested interest in the use of AI in wedding photography. I am retired from the wedding photography industry after a four decade long career creating images with cameras. Film cameras and digital cameras. If you’re not familiar with my work, and would like to see some examples, I invite you to visit the legacy wedding page on my photography website.
The purpose of writing this feature is simply to open an important dialogue amongst wedding and event photographers. Opinions are strong on the controversial subject of AI generated art. Authenticity, ethical, legal and copyright ramifications will be discussed in future posts. Today we’re just going to focus on the positive aspects.
My role in the industry these days is simply as that of a mentor. I hope some of the lessons I’ve learned over the years will benefit today’s working professional photographers. I truly hope that what I have to say will be seen in a positive light…because tremendous opportunities are opening up for creative professionals with the explosion of AI generated artwork and machine learning technology.
I Was Wrong
About a year ago I said to a photographer friend “In ten years you won’t even have to take a picture. You’ll just have to think a picture.” Man, was I wrong. So wrong. It didn’t take ten years. The technology is here already. Now. Today.
It comes as no surprise that the technology company that started it all, OpenAI, was founded by, amongst others; Elon Musk…one of the greatest visionaries of modern times. In January of 2021 their proprietary AI imaging software called DALL-E was released to the public. The imaging world was changed forever on that day. There are now a number of different platforms available to the general public where one can literally “Think a Picture”.
I’ve Been Right In The Past
In 2001 I made the switch from film photography to digital capture. All my colleagues in the wedding industry said I was crazy. “It wasn’t good enough”. “It’s not reliable”. “It doesn’t look real”. “It’s just a fad”. “It will never catch on”. Two years later they couldn’t give away their expensive film cameras.
n 2015 I made the switch from DSLR cameras to mirrorless. Again…they said I was crazy. “They can’t possibly compare to DSLR quality”. “They’re too small”. “They have no track record”. Etc. I don’t have to tell you where that one has gone. Sony mirrorless is #1 in digital imaging these days while the other camera manufacturers are scrambling to catch up (and discontinuing their outdated DSLR lines).
Change is inevitable and rapid in these digital times. Bigger, better, faster, cheaper cameras are being introduced constantly. New faster, more powerful, software solutions for your post-processing workflow pop up almost daily. AI in wedding photography is going to be the next great advancement.
But You Can’t “Think” A Wedding
There are certain genres of photography (and other art forms) that are going to take a serious hit as AI imaging gains traction. That unfortunate consequence, and some of the philosophical and ethical considerations, will be discussed in a future post. For today we’ll limit our discussion to AI in wedding photography.
Wedding and event photographers are safe for now. You can’t think a wedding and have a bot create it for you. Every single minute of a wedding day is a unique moment in time. It needs to be captured, in real time, by a human being with a camera. A human being with emotion. A human being with imagination, creativity and technical expertise.
What AI Can and Can’t Do
Though you can create wedding images using AI (as I’ve done with all of the images in this post) you can’t ask a bot to create your client’s wedding. The data sets of the major AI players consist of more than 2 billion images that have been “scraped” from many sources. That number is growing daily. Generic wedding images can certainly be created by the bots, but they can’t create the wedding that you’re going to photograph next weekend. That job is yours…and will be for the foreseeable future.
Professional sports photographers share this same job security. Yes…an AI bot can create amazing sports photographs, but it can’t generate the image of the winning touchdown in next year’s Super Bowl. No…one of the hundreds of photographers that line the field at that event will be responsible for that shot.
There’s An App For That
Never underestimate your clients. They know about AI and they know what it’s capable of. The top three selling apps on the charts this very day are AI apps that allow people to upload their selfies online and receive AI generated “portraits” of themselves. People are using these AI generated likenesses as social media avatars. They are also being used in place of professional business portraits. Take notice, headshot photographers.
We’ve all heard our clients say “Can’t you just Photoshop that?”. Mark my words…the next battle cry is going to be “Can’t you just AI that?” The time to start learning about AI, and what it can do for your workflow, is now.
Using AI In Wedding Photography Today
If you’re a professional photographer you are probably already using AI technology in your workflow. The neural filters that are in the current version of Adobe Photoshop use AI technology based on machine learning. They will continue to get better and more powerful over time as the Adobe bots learn from the hundreds of thousands of images that are being processed daily. Yes…when you take advantage of these online filters and selection tools you are contributing your images to Adobe’s data sets…the core ingredient in the machine learning process of any AI platform.
Machine learning is what it’s all about when talking about AI in wedding photography. Right now you probably have developed your own signature style of photography. It starts before the moment of image capture and is finalized in your post production editing, enhancing and retouching. You probably use certain presets in your editing workflow. You probably make some of the same creative edits to a majority of your images.
You can be certain that future versions of Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop are going to centered around machine learning. Yes…your computer is going to recognize and remember your signature style. Your computer will automatically make your desired edits and enhancements for you. Think of the ramifications of that. Especially as it applies to the amount of time you’re spending in front of the computer editing these days. In the very near future a bot will be doing that tedious, time-consuming work for you.
Using AI In Wedding Photography Going Forward
It’s just a matter of time before a forward-thinking, creative wedding photographer incorporates AI generated art into their product offerings. The possibilities are endless. Scan in 10 images of your clients and you can place them in any of the most exotic locations in the world. Scan 10 more and send them to the fantasy location of Kings Landing from Game of Thrones. Scan 10 more and the couple is exchanging their wedding vows while skydiving over a live volcano. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination and your client’s wishes.
The major AI platforms today already have the ability to create images that look like original oil paintings, watercolors, pen and ink creations, charcoal illustrations, etc. Furthermore the “prompts” you give to the AI generator can reference any known artist. Savvy wedding marketers will be offering their clients portraits that appear to have been painted by DaVinci, Vermeer or Caravaggio. This is not a dream. The technology is out there already. The time to start embracing it is now.
Get Your Learning On
Start paying attention to what is going on in the world of AI imaging. It’s not going to go away. It’s not a fad. It’s here to stay and it’s going to be more and more a part of your craft going forward. Sure, a lot of the imagery you see online right now looks pretty much the same. Most is being generated by younger folks obsessed with creating video game super heroes, warriors and dragons in dystopian environments. Don’t write it off simply as an adolescent pastime.
The forward thinkers see the potential here and will be the first to use it to their advantage. Why not be one of those early adopters? Spend a little time with an AI generator and see what it’s capable of. Keep your mind open to the possibilities. It is surprisingly easy to get good results. The images in this post were created after a mere 10 hours of learning/experimenting time. Get in on the “ground floor” and start learning what this amazing emerging technology can do.
What’s Next?
No matter where you stand on the philosophical issues of AI generated art, you have to be excited about the possibilities presented in this feature regarding marketing opportunities. You should be thrilled with the advancements that machine learning will bring to your workflow using AI in wedding photography post production.
In future posts we’ll be discussing some of those philosophical issues surrounding artwork created by AI generators. We’ll be talking about the impact that AI generated artwork is having on the visual media industry. We’ll be discussing the legal and copyright issues that are not even close to being clearly defined at this point in time. We hope you enjoyed this post and look forward to having you back.
As always we welcome your comments below. We suspect that there will be passionate entries from people with widely varying opinions on AI technology. Be sure to subscribe to Roadcraft USA for notifications when subsequent features hit the blog. If you have any specific questions you would like answered, please feel free to contact us directly via email.
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