New photography: Humans & machines, pt 3
A trilogy on the future of image-making. Part 3: The human touch remains crucial
Photography is at a turning point. As a photographer, I experience how rapidly our craft is changing. Not just through new cameras or lenses, but through a fundamental shift in how we create images and what they mean. In this three-part series, I share my observations about this fascinating development, starting with the new reality we find ourselves in. This is the third (and last) part:
The human touch remains crucial
In the previous parts, we explored how new technology and AI are changing photography. Today, we return to what remains constant: the human touch. Because precisely as technology grows more powerful, the human aspect becomes increasingly valuable.
This became clear to me recently during a photoshoot for a personal project. The camera was perfectly set up, AI was ready to assist (in post), but the real difference was made by something no technology can match: the connection with my subject.
It reminded me of old family photos I recently found. Technically far from perfect - blurry, grainy, poorly lit - but full of emotion and meaning. These are images that move you, not because they're technically perfect, but because they tell a story, capturing a moment that will never return.
That's what makes the human touch so unique: the ability to look beyond technical perfection and recognise the decisive moment. It's that split-second decision, guided by experience, feeling, and a deep understanding of your subject, that makes the difference between a technically perfect photo and an image that touches you.
“It's no longer about who can take the sharpest photo, but who can tell the most authentic story.”
Paradoxically, this human factor becomes even more important as technology improves. Now that technical perfection is increasingly accessible, it's the personal vision that makes the difference. It's no longer about who can take the sharpest photo, but who can tell the most authentic story.
What no technology can replace is the ability to make genuine contact with your subject. A portrait photographer who eases tension with good conversation. A documentary photographer who gains their subject's trust. A street photographer who senses when that perfect moment approaches. These human qualities lead to images that go beyond technical perfection.
The future of photography therefore doesn't lie in replacing the human touch, but in enhancing it. Technology and AI are excellent tools that free us from technical limitations, allowing us to focus on what truly matters: telling stories that touch people, capturing moments that matter.
Because ultimately, it's not the pixels that make a photo memorable, but the soul that the photographer manages to put into it. That human touch - that mix of intuition, experience, emotion, and timing - that's what makes photography magical. And that will never change, even in a world full of technology.
I would love to hear your thoughts on it.
With this final part, I conclude the series "New photography: Humans & machines". I explored the new technological reality, examined the role of AI as a creative partner, and discovered why the human touch is more important than ever.
Did you miss the earlier parts?
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this will always be a pertinent subject. Keep in mind, though, the entire ecosystem of photograph taking, from the shooter to the assistant to the processor/printer... You are correct that the human touch differentiates with the primary photographer, but as AI matures, the ecosystem as a whole is less reliant on humans. And as AI democratizes photography, potential clients are in less need of professionals. I think the subject is an important one to track as technology evolves, but the "humanizing" argument alone isn't a sufficient argument to cover the full disruption the technology is exacting in the art and business of photography.
You bring up great points, and I think people will be drawn to authentic stories and works that perhaps AI, even as it evolves, cannot identify to replicate in any meaningful way. Authentic art that carries the artists message behind it will always be sought after, I hope we will be able to continue to distinguish that and a machine's rendition.