The saddest thing is that all photography is beginning to look the same, and this is why it's happening

I don’t know if you've noticed, but photography is becoming way too boring and predictable. With phone processing, presets, AI edits, and social media trends, too many images are beginning to look the same. The problem isn’t necessarily that this is happening but that too many of us are okay with it.

Of course, there are numerous outliers. All around the world, photographers are pushing against delivering easy, friction-free results in pursuit of something unique and authentic. The recent 2026 World Press Photo Contest is a perfect example of this, with photos ranging from a polar bear on a dead whale to a lady socializing with a robot.

As disturbing as some of these photos are, their existence shows that all creativity is not lost. But, if we’re going to stem the tide, it’s worth taking a few minutes to think about why this trend is taking hold. I’ll posit two reasons and finish with what we can do about it.

Problem #1 – Social media

Given that most of our photos end up on social media, we are now conditioned to produce images that perform well. That means high contrast, bright colors, and centered subjects. Algorithms have determined that they’re more likely to stop people scrolling, and if that’s our motivating goal, then obviously we’re going to pander to it.

As a result, we’re increasingly finding ourselves trapped in aesthetic echo chambers where we copy what is popular, which makes that style more popular, which further narrows the definition of what a "good" photograph is. What a tragedy.

Then there are the Instagram perspectives of famous landmarks. If you search for a popular landmark, like Iceland’s Skógafoss, then you don’t see hundreds of different perspectives. You see one perspective, repeated hundreds of times, edited with the same moody teal and orange or vintage grain preset. Rather than rewarding creativity and originality, we’re simply replicating what social media tells us people want.

Problem #2 – Evolving smartphone technology

Smartphones have evolved unrecognisably from the first models that were released in the mid 90s. At that point in time, phones didn’t have built-in cameras, let alone AI models for onboard photo processing. I loved my first ever phone, the Nokia 5110, but its capabilities are a far cry from what my iPhone is now capable of. Even the first ever camera phone, the Sharp J-SH04, seems ridiculously basic compared to what the Google Pixel can achieve.

Suffice to say, there’s been a seismic shift in phone technology, but it goes well beyond the introduction of lenses and sensors. Modern smartphones don’t just take a photo; they perform a billion calculations to decide what a “good” photo should look like. With most of this processing performed without user input, we end up with a handful of smartphone brands deciding what photos should or shouldn’t look like.

Onboard processing often results in the brightening of shadows and the dampening of highlights. And don’t get me started on scene optimizers that are trained to recognize what’s contained “inside” a photo and apply presets accordingly. I wish my phone would just leave my photos alone. Let me decide what I want my photo to look like. It might not be as "good", but at least it’ll be authentic.

Solution – Embrace the moment

Henri Cartier-Bresson famously spoke about the "decisive moment" where everything aligns in front of you and you capture it with a camera. There’s no thought to what you might change in post or how you might utilize AI to “manufacture” that perfect shot. Even the idea of using burst modes to hedge your bets goes against the grain of capturing that original shot.

It’s too late to do much about the latest trends towards AI, but what if we could forge a new path that is followed by passionate photographers who care about authenticity and originality? It’s not the easiest path, and the output will be less appealing on social media, but in our hearts of hearts, we’ll know that we stayed true to what we value most.

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