I took a walk down the canal on my lunch break today, taking a pause from editing. With the winter sun sitting low in the sky, the canal came alive and I made this photograph.

Lately, I am seeing an overwhelming amount of AI images and videos gaining huge attention. AI video is becoming more and more realistic, and the same is true of AI photography. It is a shame that when I read the comments under these posts, so many people are falling for them, not through any fault of their own. If you are not a photographer, it is difficult to know what to look for. Even I am beginning to be fooled at times.

AI imagery often still feels like AI, too clean and too perfect, but the gap is closing fast. It reminds me of the shift from vinyl to CD. Technically impressive, yes, but something intangible was lost.

It also makes me wonder whether we will eventually turn away from the internet altogether if we can no longer tell what is real and what has been created.

When I photograph people, or landscapes like this, what matters to me is authenticity. The light as it truly was. The moment as it happened. Imperfections and all.

That is what keeps photography meaningful to me.

Ray