AI technology has revolutionized various industries, and portrait photography is no exception. Some are afraid of it, some choose to embrace it. For those who know me, you know that I am an early adopter so I am definitely choosing to embrace it!
I always try to assess how something, technical or none technical can benefit my clients, therefore my business.
The most important use I see with AI right now is that it can potentially reduce many post-processing repetitive tasks, like culling, contrast, color balance, etc. which in return will be able to save time and effort and let the photographer focus on applying more exciting post-processing skills.
AI can also “save” images that would have been otherwise cut - (Think Photoshop AI generative fill) - Pretty amazing to generate in minutes (if not seconds) something that would have taken us hours to fix.
To the client, all of this means faster delivery (everything still takes time though!) and more great images to select from.
AI-powered composition analysis can also evaluate the placement of subjects within the frame and offer suggestions to create more balanced and visually appealing compositions, helping photographers refine their creative vision on the spot - This is very useful when photographers want to explore more and compare compositions quickly.
AI can be inspiring. The portrait set as the featured image is the first AI portrait I created using Midjourney. There are things I would change about it, things I would keep, but overall I love it. When I look at it, I want to try that lighting setup and reproduce it with my own “Je ne sais quoi!”
As AI continues to advance, we can expect even more innovative applications and possibilities in the field, making portrait photography an increasingly exciting and dynamic industry, so instead of being photographers afraid of AI, learn about it, one day at a time.