Hey guys & gals. I’m looking for controversial topics and opinions for me to discuss on a podcast about the industry or as a creator. Give me your best! (Or I guess, worst?)
- Gear does not matter
- Gear does matter
- Smartphones are on the brink to become the main camera for most non-professional users
- AI will destroy photography
- AI will never destroy photography
- Film is coming back. One day.
Canon vs Nikon
HDR/Over editing
Terry Richardson and how he was allowed to be what he was for as long as he was.
“Will AI kill the photography business?”
To some degree, yes, it will flog the most pedestrian, repetitive, work. Stock imagery will die, but it’s not like anyone other than TMZ paparazzi were profiting off of that anyway.
To some other degree, it will enhance it. Breathe new life into it my changing the paradigm, much like how synthesizers and ProTools didn’t kill records or live music. Making more artistic forms of expression more accessible is not mutually exclusive with allowing more deliberate art to exist, and often invites more people to the table for pushing the boundaries further.
I like to use Ransom+Mitchell as an example. There’s a lot of CGI involved but no AI, and a whole heck of a lot of studio shoots with vibrant (real) scenery, props, and creative composite CGI. Their work has a completely different level of energy to it than standard realistic shoots, but is no way fake, generative, or effortless. Every single portrait they produce is worthy of hanging in an art gallery and anyone could AI-themselves-into-oblivion without being able to capture that same level of expression and execution.
20 years from now? Could be a different story, but that’s someone else’s problem and like vinyl records, live photos and reality may momentarily fall out of style just before trends pendulum back toward authenticity being the most desirable trait in works.
Make a segment that explains why Leica cameras are the best
Phone vs Camera
Using Ai vs using photoshop (not talking about making an image from scratch)… what about Topaz Ai, or generative fill… it can be like an automated clone stamp tool saving time… so time/pain = art?
Film vs Film Simulation
CCD vs. CMOS sensors.
Actually, the formulation of the color filter arrays changed, moving from Kodak to mainly Fujifilm dyes. This occurred around the same year as the sensor shift in 2008.
Microcontrast
I wish more people would talk about how GAS is fueled and, in some cases, started by youtube photographers. So you end up with people coming into these subreddits talking about first camera purchase and only choosing the latest and most expensive one. I remember seeing some person wanting to purchase the A9III because it was expensive and new and that meant it was better. Was completely surprised when they were informed it was pre-order only.
The art and love of photography has been replaced with getting as much expensive gear as you can buy for not very good reasons. You have misinformed people coming in and assuming that X camera will do all these things and every photo will be magical.
Using AI with photographs
The “quirky high school art class girl” to “professional photographer” pipeline
Is this a thing? In my area it’s more like the SAHM to professional photographer pipeline.
Not that there’s anything wrong with it, just an interesting trend.
Phone vs camera. Often phone camera users mock people who invest in good camera gear. Also, often camera owners undermine people with good sense of framing that use only their phones for photography. Idk how it is everywhere, but at least in India I have come across this debate quite a lot
Personal feelings on the phone versus camera thing. Using a camera is what puts my brain into “photography mode” where I’m actually thinking about framing and composition and light whereas with my phone it’s more of a quick document the moment thing. Totally agree with the idea that the best one is whichever is available in any given moment though. While a thoughtfully composed image will be better than a quick grab,the quick grab is infinitely better than nothing at all.
Phones are computers first, and cameras second.
Cameras are cameras first and computers second.
They both approach the same goal with different processes. Both are fine. Use what makes sense to you in the moment.
exactly, but most of these discussion are top down and “Phone = bad” people focus on gear and not the end result
Any mention of Leica triggers Redditors pretty hard.
Anything at all political, like compare Pete Souza’s images of Reagan and Obama with Trumps official images. (hope you like death threats)
“3D pop”, some religiously believe in it, some consider it religious heresy.
Sensor size wars.
I think 3D pop has more to it than the poorly defined concept of microcontrast.
I bitched about an article on Petapixel about women’s photo grants, and PETA banned me from the comments. And I’m a woman 😀 I guess when I said I would never hire another female assistant ever they didn’t like that. In the photographic field, I found years ago you just need to put gender aside. Just be a person. And dont expect anything special just because you’re female. And to me, that includes women only contests and grants. Can you imagine the uproar there would be if there was a Men Only contest or grant?
I mean, I’m not surprised
aI pHOToGRaphy iSn’t ReAl photography
a PiCturE oF foOd iSn’t rEal foOd.
Ai isn’t photography, it’s digital image creation conceptualized by detailed copy writing and generated by software. Photography requires the use of a camera, Ai image creation requires describing something in detail to a computer program. Both require creativity and knowledge to produce good results, but they’re two totally different things.