Photography Philosophy

People often ask, “What sort of photographer are you?  A ‘Portrait Photographer’? A ‘Wildlife Photographer’? A ‘Street Photographer’?” But my range of photographic interests cannot be so easily squeezed into a single box.

I always carry my Contax G2 with me ready to capture the moments that life brings to me. I have often described myself as a ‘Walkout photographer with a snapshot style’ but that in a sense describes what I do and how I do it and a not my particular specialist photographic genre.

My name is Ed, and I’m a photographer from Alabama. Having shot for about 12 years now, I’ve always been fascinated by the ways technology can enhance and transform the art of photography. In this article, I explore the exciting new world of AI-generated images and the impact they’re having on the world of photography and art. Drawing on my experiences with AI tools, as well as my passion for film photography, I reflect on the ongoing debate around AI-generated images and their place in the art world.

In all of the photography advice I have ever received, the most common is to always bring your camera. You never know when you might come across something that you want to aim your camera at, and the comfort of having a camera around your neck or tucked in your pocket or bag is joyous. I love the spontaneity of being able to take a picture anywhere. You can find small or substantial moments and you never know when they will pop up. It could be a cloud formation or the way that a shadow hits the sidewalk as you are walking to the mailbox. It might be a bird in mid-flight or your child running. That “decisive moment” that Henri Cartier-Bresson described is much easier to find when you have your camera with you.