The world mostly knows Robert Irwin as a wildlife media personality. But what few realize is that the son of the late “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin is also a wildlife photographer, and a pretty good one for that matter.
In fact, Irwin, who first picked up a camera around the age of 13, has won a Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award, and, in a recent interview with Parade, said that photography is “probably the most formative part of his life” so far.
Above: watch Irwin's interview with Parade
Safe to say, when he started to share his opinions on artificial intelligence (AI) in photography during the same interview, my ears perked up. But while most photographers seem to be focusing on Irwin’s point about AI taking away from the “artistry” of the craft, his point that “AI dilutes what is impressive” is what truly hit the nail on the head for me.
In the not-so-distant past before AI, a photographer would have to go and do impressive things to create an immersive image. Take a phenomenal picture of a sunrise over a remote landscape: the photographer would actually have to hike one of the mountains, lugging their gear up with them, to create it.
Or take Irwin’s own specialty, wildlife. A fantastic portrait of a leopard hauling its prey up a tree normally requires locating the animal through the help of a local guide and waiting patiently for the right moment to arrive.
But knowing that someone sitting at a computer using an AI tool can now achieve the same results takes the sheen off the real deal, mostly because it means you really have to dig deep to find out the story behind the image, instead of being able to take that at face value.
I fear that, in the not-so-distant future, the internet will be so awash with AI fakery that most people who see a real image won’t even consider what went into creating it – the backstory – which, in my view, is a huge part of what makes it impressive.
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