“AI can conjure worlds, but only a photograph can capture a moment that actually happened.” – MJ Martin
A highly contentious and yet, uncertain debate is emerging regarding the future direction of image creation.
Will advanced AI image technology surpass and replace classic image capture photography?
In this image of Kyle Fowler of Go EZ Aerobatics flying knife edge, it was captured with a traditional camera in 2022. It is clean, truthful, vibrant, and dramatic. Photo Credit: MJ Martin
The advent of AI-generated imagery has sparked a significant shift in the visual arts landscape, prompting discussions about the future of traditional photography. While AI tools like Midjourney, DALL·E 2 / 3, Apple Image Playground, Adobe Firefly, Google Gemini, Microsoft Designer, and many others can produce highly realistic images from textual prompts, they currently lack the capacity to capture the spontaneity and emotional depth inherent in real-life moments. This distinction underscores the enduring value of traditional photography, especially in contexts requiring authenticity and human connection.
Midjourney
As a case study, let us explore Midjourney deeper, Midjourney, one of the leading generative AI platforms, has emerged as a powerful tool capable of producing photorealistic and artistically stylized images based solely on text prompts. Its underlying architecture leverages large-scale diffusion models trained on massive image-text datasets, enabling it to synthesize scenes that mimic lighting, depth of field, lens artifacts, and compositional principles familiar to traditional photography. However, the conversation about whether Midjourney can replace photography entirely is nuanced.
NOTE: The images above are constructed in Midjourney. The bottom row was constructed first. The prompt for the bottom row series was provided as, “Two woman, closely huddled, viewing a photograph on an iPhone”. Next, the top row was constructed. The first image from the bottom row was selected and a built-in command to make the selected image “very strong” was applied which resulted in the top row of four images that were amplified and enhanced by Midjourney. Flaws are clearly evident as the iPhone seems to have images on both sides. The viewer of the image can see the picture and the two girls are illuminated by what is assumed to be another image. Hmmm?
See the traditional camera image capture of Two Woman Viewing an iPhone Photo below.
From a technical standpoint, Midjourney excels in creating visuals unconstrained by physical limitations. It can render environments that do not exist, simulate rare lighting conditions, or reconstruct scenes with impossible precision. This makes it a compelling option in industries like advertising, gaming, and conceptual art, where visual imagination often surpasses what is practical to photograph. For instance, a client needing a dreamlike forest with cinematic lighting and surreal creatures can have it generated in minutes – no studio, no travel, no equipment.
Yet, Midjourney cannot truly replace the documentary nature of photography. It does not capture reality – it invents it. The essence of traditional photography lies in bearing witness: the photographer’s lens captures an unrepeatable moment shaped by light, timing, emotion, and human presence. Photojournalism, reportage, wedding photography, and street photography all rely on this truthful spontaneity, which AI, however skilled, cannot authentically replicate. At least not today….
The image above was created in Midjourney. There are several concerns. 1. Why is the landing gear deployed at such a high altitude? 2. The landing gear is not normal looking, and seems to be an abstract of what landing gear might be. 3. The wings are very strange looking. 4. Is it a 3 or 4 engine airplane? More flaws can be seen. While the sky and the lighting are dramatic, the core subject – the aircraft – is problematic for real-life commercial applications. This rendering is deemed a failure and would not be used professionally.
Moreover, Midjourney’s use raises questions about authorship and authenticity. In photography, the image reflects the photographer’s vision filtered through skill, context, and subjectivity. With Midjourney, while prompts are crafted by humans, the output is an amalgamation of learned visual patterns; not a direct reflection of lived experience. It challenges what it means to “take” a picture when no light or lens was involved.
AI-generated images offer unparalleled flexibility and scalability, allowing for the creation of bespoke visuals tailored to specific needs. However, they often fall short in conveying the intentionality and originality that human photographers bring to their work. The creative process in photography involves more than just capturing an image; it encompasses the photographer’s vision, emotional engagement, and the ability to tell a story through visuals.
The rise of AI in visual content creation raises ethical considerations, particularly concerning authenticity and the potential for misinformation. In fields like photojournalism, where the integrity of images is paramount, AI-generated visuals could undermine public trust if not clearly distinguished from genuine photographs. This concern highlights the necessity for transparency and ethical guidelines in the use of AI-generated imagery.
Traditional Photography
Traditional camera-based street photography of two woman viewing a photograph taken at Niagara Falls, Canada. Strong emotions are present, reflecting joy, love, friendship, happiness, and endearment. Photo Credit: MJ Martin
Traditional photography can survive – and even thrive – alongside the rise of powerful AI imagery by embracing its irreplaceable strengths: authenticity, human connection, and truth. While AI platforms like Midjourney can generate limitless visuals unconstrained by physics, ethics, or geography, traditional photography offers something AI cannot fabricate: a direct encounter with the real world. Here is how photography maintains its relevance:
1. Authenticity and Trust
In journalism, documentation, and historical record-keeping, the power of a photograph lies in its truth. An image taken by a human with a camera at a specific time and place carries evidentiary weight; something AI-generated images can never fully replicate. As misinformation and deepfakes proliferate, the value of verifiable photography will only grow.
2. Emotional Connection and Storytelling
Photography is an emotional art. A human behind the lens brings intuition, empathy, and timing to a shot; capturing subtle expressions, fleeting glances, and unplanned beauty. These emotional layers are difficult for generative AI to fabricate convincingly because they are not designed to feel, only to simulate.
3. Tangibility and Presence
Photographers engage with the physical world: they travel, scout, wait, compose. This tactile engagement gives their work context and presence. The grain of film, the insane resolution of digital, the ambient light of a golden hour, or the chaos of a street corner can not be fully emulated; they are experienced before they are captured.
4. Ethics and Attribution
AI art raises complex questions about ownership, originality, and consent – especially when trained on vast, uncredited datasets. Traditional photographers control their process and retain creative and legal ownership of their images, which has commercial and ethical advantages in a future increasingly concerned with intellectual property.
5. Artistic Counterbalance
In a world awash with synthetic perfection, the imperfections of real photography become desirable. Grain, motion blur, overexposure – these “flaws” tell us a human was present. This rawness can offer relief from the uncanny precision of AI visuals and foster a resurgence in analog and street photography.
A Midjourney rendering of a prompt described as “photorealistic image of a 20 year old beautiful girl in a red kimono at a Japanese temple with a defused background”. This image is easily detectable as a fake image. But what about in a few years from now? Will Midjourney become as realistic as a captured still image? Furthermore, Midjourney interpreted the description of “a 20 year old beautiful girl”. This is how an AI engine defines “beauty”! How does it compare to a human description of beauty? How does it compare to your definition of beauty? The featured image at the top of this article is another variation of this rendering.
Conclusion
While AI-generated images are transforming the visual arts by expanding creative possibilities, they are unlikely to supplant traditional photography entirely at this time. The human elements of intuition, emotion, and authenticity remain irreplaceable, ensuring that classic photography retains its significance in capturing and conveying the nuances of real-life experiences.
Midjourney may eventually replace traditional photography in synthetic content creation – stock imagery, conceptual visuals, or hyper-stylized advertising – its role remains complementary, not substitutive, for photography grounded in reality, emotion, and human experience. The future likely holds a hybrid visual ecosystem, where classic photography and AI-generated art coexist, each valuable in its own domain.
Traditional photography does not need to compete with AI on synthetic grounds; it must emphasize its human essence. By focusing on authenticity, trust, and the real-world beauty that no algorithm can invent, photography remains an essential visual language in an AI-augmented future. Like painting after the invention of photography, still photographs will evolve; not disappear.
Is this image of a Golden Retriever real or synthetic? What is your best guess?
About the Author:
Michael Martin is the Vice President of Technology with Metercor Inc., a Smart Meter, IoT, and Smart City systems integrator based in Canada. He has more than 40 years of experience in systems design for applications that use broadband networks, optical fibre, wireless, and digital communications technologies. He is a business and technology consultant. He was a senior executive consultant for 15 years with IBM, where he worked in the GBS Global Center of Competency for Energy and Utilities and the GTS Global Center of Excellence for Energy and Utilities. He is a founding partner and President of MICAN Communications and before that was President of Comlink Systems Limited and Ensat Broadcast Services, Inc., both divisions of Cygnal Technologies Corporation (CYN: TSX).
Martin served on the Board of Directors for TeraGo Inc (TGO: TSX) and on the Board of Directors for Avante Logixx Inc. (XX: TSX.V). He has served as a Member, SCC ISO-IEC JTC 1/SC-41 – Internet of Things and related technologies, ISO – International Organization for Standardization, and as a member of the NIST SP 500-325 Fog Computing Conceptual Model, National Institute of Standards and Technology. He served on the Board of Governors of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) [now Ontario Tech University] and on the Board of Advisers of five different Colleges in Ontario – Centennial College, Humber College, George Brown College, Durham College, Ryerson Polytechnic University [now Toronto Metropolitan University]. For 16 years he served on the Board of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), Toronto Section.
He holds three master’s degrees, in business (MBA), communication (MA), and education (MEd). As well, he has three undergraduate diplomas and seven certifications in business, computer programming, internetworking, project management, media, photography, and communication technology. He has completed over 50 next generation MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) continuous education in a wide variety of topics, including: Economics, Python Programming, Internet of Things, Cloud, Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive systems, Blockchain, Agile, Big Data, Design Thinking, Security, Indigenous Canada awareness, and more.