What AI Can’t Teach You About Being a Photographer

Billions of photos are taken every day, and most of them will disappear into camera rolls, social media feeds, and forgotten folders. With AI tools now able to generate convincing images from a text prompt, one photographer is asking a bigger question than which camera to buy or which settings to use. What actually makes someone a photographer?

In a recent Youtube video, photographer Max Kent reflects on originality, artistic identity, and the value of creating images in an age when almost anything can be produced or copied. His argument is that photography is about more than the final image. It is also about the person behind the camera and the decisions they make.

Why AI images miss the point of photography

The photographer argues that much of the satisfaction of making art comes from the creative process, not simply the finished result. AI image generators can produce visually striking pictures, but he sees prompting as a limited substitute for developing an idea through personal experience, skill, and artistic judgment.

He also criticizes the tendency for AI generated images to imitate existing work, describing it as a cycle of unoriginality built on other people’s creativity.

His argument is not that every photograph must be fine art. Photography can serve commercial, documentary, and practical purposes, too. Instead, he asks photographers to consider what makes their own work personal and meaningful.

Find your photographic identity

A recognizable photographic identity can help distinguish a photographer’s work from the endless stream of images online. The video points to photographers such as Vivian Maier and Saul Leiter, whose work gained wider recognition beyond the circumstances in which they originally made it.

For the photographer, developing an identity begins with looking back at work that feels meaningful and identifying recurring interests. He describes a period when he felt disconnected from photography, then found direction by returning to images and photographers that inspired him.

He wrote down ideas such as movement, feeling, and dreaminess to guide his work. Those concepts became a reference point when deciding what to photograph and how to approach a scene.

A photographic identity does not need to be complicated. It might mean documenting everyday life, working with a particular kind of light, or consistently looking for specific colors and compositions.

Intention matters more than the camera

The video also emphasizes the importance of shooting with intention. Going out to document a place, explore a subject, or notice small moments can change how a photographer sees familiar surroundings.

Two photographers can photograph the same street and produce very different results. The difference comes from their perspective, timing, composition, and personal experiences, rather than simply the subject in front of them.

The photographer’s advice is straightforward. Shoot what interests you instead of constantly trying to predict what will perform well online. Even a familiar subject can produce an original photograph when approached from a personal point of view.

In a world overflowing with images, perhaps the most useful question is not what you should photograph next, but what you want your photographs to say.

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