AI is one of the biggest topics in the creative world right now — and if you’re a photographer, it’s probably already impacted your workflow in one way or another.
Some people love it. Some people hate it. Others fall somewhere in the middle.
At TheLifeWeCapture, we believe the use of AI can be an incredible tool when used intentionally and transparently. But we also understand the very real concerns artists have when AI starts replacing the human element that makes photography meaningful in the first place.
This blog isn’t meant to be the final word on AI — it’s meant to express my own interest and understanding in conversation. Below, I'm sharing our stance, the ways we think AI can help, and the areas where we believe it can do some real harm to this wonderful artform.
Our Stance: AI Can Be Powerful (With Boundaries)
As someone managing the development of a photography brand mostly solo, AI has helped me massively behind the scenes. It’s made it easier to learn, build, and create faster than I’d ever be able to do alone on a small budget.
AI has helped with things like:
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website development and coding support
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polishing SEO and product descriptions
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organizing writing and improving clarity
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structuring content so it’s easier to read
For creators trying to grow something from the ground up, AI can be the difference between staying stuck… and actually launching. It's incredibly easy of course to plug in a few prompts for inspiration, quick feedback, and many other useful hotfixes for the website and overall brand quality.
That said, when it comes to editing my own photography, I hardly use AI tools. Personally, I do very limited editing in general but that's just my own particular style. The majority of my edits revolve around color balancing and enhancing photos from their RAW state. I also would never pretend a fully AI generated image is real. That grinds my gears and it's unfortunate it's becoming more difficult to spot.
The only time AI touches our photo-world is for marketing and design support — mainly generating cover images for blog posts and promotional materials. Not because we want to replace creativity, but because I don’t always have the funding, time, or design skillset to do it all manually. (it's mostly the talent - though Canva has some nice templates I use lol)
AI gives me a way to keep moving forward and keep building. As time goes on and TLWC grows I'll be excited to use less and less of it.
Where AI Is Useful in Photography
AI has already become part of modern photography workflows, whether people want to admit it or not. And in certain areas, it genuinely makes sense to me.
1) Faster cleanup and smoother editing
AI-assisted tools can help photographers speed up edits that used to take forever, like:
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quick object removal
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cleaning up distractions
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faster masking and selections
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minor background fixes
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sharpening or noise reduction
Used correctly, this kind of AI doesn’t replace your work — it supports it. It’s still your image, your moment, your framing, your lighting, your intent. It's the same use of tools we all learned to the hard way turned simplified. I can understand it may be a bit damaging to the editing talents behind the scenes, but at the end of the day we don't have to pretend that we enjoy all of the extra time those AI tools save us.
2) Helping creators work smarter
The reality is that most photographers today aren’t just photographers. They’re also:
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marketers
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editors
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writers
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business owners
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website builders
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content creators
AI can take pressure off the tasks that don’t involve actually capturing the photo, giving photographers more time to do what they love. My favorite part of photography is going out and framing. It's studying the wildlife subject, watching the sun set or rise, and finding those moments I want to be able to look back and enjoy once more.
As said previously, as practically being a solo developer of TLWC, AI has helped me tremendously to the point it feels like a silent type of partner carrying a bit of the struggle.
3) Making creative projects more possible
Not everyone has access to designers, editors, or a full team. AI can help small brands and solo creators produce:
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blog graphics
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ad creatives
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Instagram story visuals
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launch banners
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promo materials
That extra support can bring more photography brands to life, and more artists into the spotlight, which to me is an excellent thing. I give props to those who are creative enough to handle all aspects of social media content on their own.
I will say I do feel a tad guilty not being able to use real life creators to help me design our templates, ad creatives, and other promotional materials. I would love to support them and their talented efforts and look to do so in the future.
The Fear We Share: AI-Generated Images Being Passed Off as “Real”
Even though I see the value of AI, I share the most common fear photographers have:
AI-generated realistic images being presented as real photographs.
That’s the part that crosses into dangerous territory.
Photography is an art form. It takes a creative person to capture a real moment — to freeze emotion, timing, light, and story into a single frame. It’s a craft built on:
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patience
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vision
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skill
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effort
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real-world experience
When a fully AI-generated image is treated like a real photo, it removes the heart of what makes photography special. It taints our feeds and destroys the look our community has built around.
I know all of my feeds are filled with AI generated junk posing as real life events and scenes. Its disheartening to see and it makes my stance on the use of AI almost unbearable. I think it's so important to remain as true as possible, and if someone ends up needing to use it then I just hope they can be as transparent as possible.
Why Human Photography Still Matters
To me, photography is one of the most personal creative outlets that exists.
It’s a way for someone to show the world from their perspective. It allows you to tell stories without speaking. It gives people a way to express:
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who they are
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how they feel
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what they value
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what they notice that others might miss
There’s meaning behind every photo a photographer takes — especially the ones they choose to share. It's one of my favorite parts of TLWC and why I work to feature so many photographers stories in our featured photographer blogs.
Even in niche photography spaces like wildlife, landscape, street, portraits, or documentary work… there’s a human element that AI can’t replicate. AI might be able to generate something visually impressive, but it often feels different. It lacks individuality in the story and holds very little meaning to the person "creating it" because it was never real to begin with.
Photography is people. TheLifeWeCapture is about people who capture their favorite moments and who want to share their expressions with the world. We're a platform designed for the real life moments of photographers all over the world.
The Importance of Moderation (And Honesty)
Like most things in life, the conversation comes down to moderation.
I’ll be honest, as I said earlier, sometimes I even feel a bit guilty using AI to create cover photos for our blog posts. But at the same time, they help engagement — and they allow me to consistently publish content that supports photographers, or entertains a discussion about hot topics.
It’s a tool. And used the right way, it helps me keep building. My goal is connection with photographers, real photographers, so they can share their stories through TLWC and hopefully by doing so they can gain real attention with genuine interest.
AI has also helped improve my writing in the best way possible. It has helped sharpen my articles and creates full clarity without removing my voice. I love to write, but sometimes struggle to be clear and precise all the time, it’s pretty incredible to have a tool that can check my work, make suggestions, and help structure my ideas without replacing what I'm trying to say.
Transparency Matters: Always Disclose AI Use
One thing I believe strongly is if AI is used, it should be disclosed. Always.
The creative world runs on trust, originality, and effort. When AI becomes “invisible,” it creates confusion and unfair expectations. As mentioned it removes all human element out of it, besides feeding in a prompt, and I'm not sure how that's fun for anyone.
Transparency protects:
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creators
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viewers
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clients
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entire creative industries
It also keeps the conversation honest instead of turning it into a competition of who can fake something the best. It blows me away when people pretend to use blatantly AI generated images as "real" works of photography. It should just be in its own separate category of "AI artwork" but that leads into my next issue.
The Environmental Conversation Can’t Be Ignored
Another reality of AI is that it comes with bigger questions and concerns including environmental impact.
That’s a topic I always see mentioned more often, and it deserves to be part of the conversation. Whether someone is fully pro-AI or fully against it, the sustainability side of things is something creators will continue to wrestle with moving forward. I have seen very mixed opinions and confusing facts about the impact AI has on our natural environment. As someone who uses it, I'd like to hope we are doing out best to find sustainable practices to be environmentally sound.
If you have more information about real life damages on the use of AI, or accurate information about how we're adjusting our approach to its growth please le me know.
I do personally think AI is here to stay, regardless of whether we like it or not for any sort of purpose. I think the next step in its evolution is to find the most efficient and safe way to have it operate. At least that's my hope.
Now I'd Like Your Opinion
Where do you stand?
Is AI acceptable in the world of photography?
How much AI is too much?
Does it diminish your outlook for the creative spaces we all love, or do you feel like it’s just another tool artists will learn to adapt to?
Drop your thoughts in the comments. I genuinely want to hear your stance.
And as always — keep sharing those very real moments with us by tagging @TheLifeWeCapture in your posts. 🤝📸