VSCO: Photography Isn’t Dying. It Matters More Than Ever

An AI can generate an image of pretty much anything you imagine. It can replicate the light, the mood, the composition. What it can’t replicate is the feeling, the experience, the process of trial and error, and the joy when you finally get the shot.

That’s the thing about real photography: the image can often be a side effect of everything we go through while creating it. What you’re actually preserving is the experience, and VSCO just launched a campaign that focuses on real photography in the age of “AI this and AI that.”

[Related reading: This is why AI will never really replace photography]

In an open letter, CEO Eric Wittman states that “your eye, the way you see the world, can’t be generated. It can’t be prompted. It’s irreplaceable.”

“Real work made by real people has never mattered more. People feel the difference. They’re searching for it, even when the algorithm never shows it to them.
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At a time when brands are quietly swapping out photo budgets for image generators, VSCO has commissioned two actual photographers to be the face of the campaign: Ivana Cajina and Jared Thomas Tapy are both longtime VSCO collaborators, and they were asked to document each other.

It’s a small gesture, but it’s a meaningful one, reminding us that real photography still counts. In the era of hyperproduction, I think it’s more important than ever to give voice to real photographers and other artists rather than replacing them with AI. What’s more, I think it’s also important for each of us to rely on our own creativity and skills rather than searching for quick solutions in generative AI tools.

Although we can all slide into pessimism thanks to the era we live in, I still refuse to say that photography is dying. And when brands like VSCO support this sentiment, my glimmer of hope shines a little brighter.

The full story behind Ivana’s and Jared’s process is on the VSCO journal. And if you’re looking for a platform built around photographers and their experience and process, VSCO membership might be worth exploring, too.

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