Authenticity in Photography Amidst the Rise of AI
I was intrigued by a photographer who asked a question on a local Facebook group recently “You must wonder how much longer photography in advertising will last” this was after the photographer posted an image of an offroad racer he had created using Elon Musk's Grok 3 AI. The image did look very realistic.
Ai is here to stay, how it will affect photography who knows? Should we be worried, I think yes as there’s a big push from social media companies like X and Meta as they are flooding their platforms with Ai generated content and people can no longer tell the difference between a real photo or video and a Ai photo or video.
In saying that three weeks ago I received a phone call, this was an enquiry from my website. A Nelson organisation wanted permission to use one of my photos to advertise their event they have planned for June 2025. With giving them permission to use my image I also get to exhibit some of my work over the four days of their event in June 2025. More details to follow in regards to this.
Sunset Reflection at Lake Rotoiti
I asked them why they selected my image “Sunset Reflection at Lake Rotoiti” their reply was :-
It is a local photo, that people can relate to.
It fitted within the theme of their event
The horzion is in the center of the photo so there is equal copy space top and bottom of the photo for text.
The photo will be the background for their poster, billboard, and social media content that they will use to advertise their event over the coming months. I’m excited to have the opportunity to exhibit my work in June and also to see my photo in digital and print advertising.
Going on my first hand experience over the last few weeks, I’ve come to the conclusion that business’s and organistions still require authentic and genuine photos to promote their brand, instead of using Ai generated images to promte their brand.
This could easily change over the course of 2025.
Two years ago I started planning for my brand and website Grant Udy Photos. After launching my website eighteen months ago, I have made many improvements, this has allowed me to be no longer fully reliant on social media to showcase my photos. In fact I’m currently posting less on social media and concentrating more on my website.
Social media has become the “Thief of Joy”, as more and more Ai generated content is pushed to their platforms, so my focus has shifted away from social media to my own personal projects and I will be concentrating more on my own photos, videos, and prints, so make sure you subscribe to my newsletter for regular updates.