I’m seeing more doom and gloom videos, articles, adverts all asking things like:
“Will AI destroy photography?”
“Is Photography DEAD?”
“Will AI REPLACE PHOTOGRAPHERS?”
And on it goes…
But as we look ahead to 2026 which is upon us in mere hours, allow me to share my reasons why it will do NOTHING of the sort.
Technical reasons why AI won’t replace photographers/photography
1) The image quality is bad and low res.
2) It never really listens to what you want. Create a great image once? ok. Do something similar next time – good luck.
The technical issues will eventually get fixed. But even then, it won’t matter because of the real reasons AI won’t replace photography.
The REAL reasons why AI won’t replace photographers/photography
It all boils down to this.
For the VAST majority of people who read my emails and take my courses etc, ask yourself one question and you’ll discover the answer yourself.
Why do you do photography?
It’s not because you want to have a completely fabricated hyper-realistic rendition of a fantasy scene that doesn’t exist. Who’s ever going to stick that on the wall, or create an album to give to a family member at Christmas?
It’s because you take photos for yourself. Or to share.
To capture a moment in your life.
To tell the story of a hike you went on through the mountains.
To re-live that AMAZING sunset you were lucky enough to witness.
To push your creative boundaries and make something that contains YOU.
To give you a reason to stay active and get up and out there.
To connect with friends.
Because you ENJOY being out in nature, seeing it in ways only photography allows you to see.
Or because you simply enjoy the process of improving your skills, bettering yourself, and producing a piece of work you can be proud of.
When all said and done, AI cannot replace your reasons and it can’t create what you can create.
Cheers
Steve