--- title: "Photography in the Age of Artificial Intelligence" subtitle: "This week's episode of Modem Futura explores the changing relationship between photographer and photograph as AI transforms the art of image making" author: "Andrew Maynard" date: 2025-03-04 original: https://www.futureofbeinghuman.com/p/photography-in-the-age-of-artificial-intelligence mirror: https://text.futureofbeinghuman.com/substack/photography-in-the-age-of-artificial-intelligence.html --- # Photography in the Age of Artificial Intelligence *This week's episode of Modem Futura explores the changing relationship between photographer and photograph as AI transforms the art of image making* By Andrew Maynard · March 4, 2025 · [Original post](https://www.futureofbeinghuman.com/p/photography-in-the-age-of-artificial-intelligence) --- *[Image: Image: Midjourney — [view image](https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/609ef7d7-03b3-4542-821b-96266c64c65a_2912x1632.png)]* Back in the day when I started messing with cameras, what you saw was what you got … sort of. Of course, there were a myriad things that transformed what you could see through the viewfinder into a final image — the camera’s shutter speed and aperture, the type of film used, and how it was developed and finally printed. But you, as the photographer, were in control — and there was a clear line of provenance between the subject and the final product. But artificial intelligence is changing this. Computational photography — where computers and AI do an increasing amount of heavy lifting in the image capture, processing, and production process — is altering the relationship between what someone sets out to create and the final result. And while this is incredibly liberating for many — think of the gazillions of stunning photos flooding the web from smart phones — it’s also calling into question what it means to be a photographer an an age of AI. My co-host Sean Leahy and I grapple with this question in this week’s episode of *Modem Futura*. We both spend a lot of time with cameras, capturing the world through photographs[^1] so we couldn’t resist a deep dive into the history of photography and how increasing compute power and AI are changing this.[^2] Along the way we touch on everything from the difference between an image and a photo, to how AI is fundamentally changing the relationship between the camera and the art of image making. Listen below, or on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/1h4vRYVmYaG2oZdnKoF3HS) or [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF5zF5NBu8w) — time stamped links are included below if you want to jump in at specific points: *[Podcast: [Computational Photography: AI & Creative Process](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/computational-photography-ai-creative-process/id1771688480?i=1000697588720&uo=4) on Apple Podcasts]* Jumping in points (approximate): [00:00](https://open.spotify.com/episode/1h4vRYVmYaG2oZdnKoF3HS?t=0) Cold open, and introduction to photography, imaging, and technology [05:01](https://open.spotify.com/episode/1h4vRYVmYaG2oZdnKoF3HS?t=361) Introduction, and the impact of smartphones on photography [09:30](https://open.spotify.com/episode/1h4vRYVmYaG2oZdnKoF3HS?t=570) A brief history of photography [21:35](https://open.spotify.com/episode/1h4vRYVmYaG2oZdnKoF3HS?t=1295) The smartphone era [24:30](https://open.spotify.com/episode/1h4vRYVmYaG2oZdnKoF3HS?t=1470) The rise of computational photography [37:20](https://open.spotify.com/episode/1h4vRYVmYaG2oZdnKoF3HS?t=2240) The democratization of photography [38:30](https://open.spotify.com/episode/1h4vRYVmYaG2oZdnKoF3HS?t=2310) Artistic expression vs. capturing reality [43:15](https://open.spotify.com/episode/1h4vRYVmYaG2oZdnKoF3HS?t=2595) Inserting intelligent tech between the photographer and the photograph [49:00](https://open.spotify.com/episode/1h4vRYVmYaG2oZdnKoF3HS?t=2940) The Balance of control in photography [53:40](https://open.spotify.com/episode/1h4vRYVmYaG2oZdnKoF3HS?t=3220) AI enhanced photography [59:05](https://open.spotify.com/episode/1h4vRYVmYaG2oZdnKoF3HS?t=3545) Manipulating reality [01:05:45](https://open.spotify.com/episode/1h4vRYVmYaG2oZdnKoF3HS?t=3945) The value of human perspective in art And as always, a reminder that you can watch is recording this week’s episode on YouTube: *[YouTube video: ]* Thanks for listening! ## Notes [^1]: Just in case you’re interested, [you can see a selection of Sean’s photos here](https://www.seanmleahy.com/photography) — which are [way better than mine](https://andrewmaynard.smugmug.com/) (not surprising as he used to actually teach photography!). [^2]: I’m embarrassed to admit that, if you listen closely, you’ll hear a glaring error from me. While we were talking about Apple’s first digital camera (released in 1993) I refer to it as a 480 pixel camera. What I should have said is that it took 640 x 480 pixel images — still rather low resolution, but a little higher than a poultry 480 pixels! --- *This Markdown file is a text-only version of “Photography in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” by Andrew Maynard, from The Future of Being Human (). The original post at is the canonical version. Images, video, audio and interactive elements are indicated inline and available in the original. © Andrew Maynard.*