Since April 2024, Meta has started labeling content on its platforms Instagram, Facebook and Threads to indicate whether its been crafted using artificial intelligence. 

This move’s aim was to enhance transparency and trust in Meta’s programs, and also to try and combat the spread of misinformation in the run up to the U.S presidential elections. 

All well and good, yes? 

Well no sadly. Meta are going to have to go back to the drawing board with this one, as users have found that the ‘made with AI’ tag is being applied to content that is AI, in the problematic way, innocent. 

Even minor Photoshop edits are being flagged as AI generated, causing disgruntled artists and photographers to complain. 

The rules according to Instagram’s help center are predictably unclear:

“Content that is created or edited using Meta’s AI tools and shared to Instagram as a post, story or reel may automatically be labelled as ‘AI” content above or on the content, or in some cases with a visible watermark that says “Imagined with AI’.”

They continue:

“Content that is detected to have industry-standard signals indicating that it’s generated by AI will be labelled as “Made with AI”. This includes content that is created or edited using third-party AI tools. It also includes content that is created using Meta’s AI tools, downloaded and then uploaded to Instagram.”

They then say that if your post needs but has not been given a ‘Made with AI’ label, it’s your responsibility to do so, and that not all content that is generated with AI will have a label. 

So essentially we’re back to square one with a flawed system we can’t trust, as artists’ touch ups are causing their entire work to be branded fake, and potentially significant uses of AI are slipping through gaps, relying on human honesty to point it out. 

One hilarious example came from photographer Peter Yan, whose photograph of Mount Fuji in Japan was labeled ‘Made with AI’ after he used a generative AI tool to remove a trash can. 

Matt Growcoot had the same issue after he removed a spec of dust from a photograph he took in Türkiye using an AI tool in Photoshop. 

The world is still figuring out how to recognize and handle AI, but arguably, simply mentioning that something has been made with AI is fairly useless unless we know exactly how and how much. 

When AI models and influencers exist, a speck of dust seems somewhat insignificant. 

We’re all still going to do it so here are the best photo editing software, and the best photo-editing laptops for photographers.  

The best camera is the one you have with you, right? That’s why the best smartphone cameras have changed the game, freeing you from learning all about aperture or shutter speed and helping you achieve shots you’d have thought were impossible from a device that slips into your pocket.

Can you really take photos that look like they’d have come from a pro photo studio with a phone? The new is here to show that you can.

While we all take loads of photos all the time, Honor’s focused (pun intended) on what actually matters by prioritising shots of people. Whether you’re always taking self-portraits or pictures of your mates, this setup will make you the designated photographer at every event on the summer calendar.

HONOR 200 Pro

Display size and resolution	6.78-inch, 2700 x 1224 OLED, 120Hz
Cameras	50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, 50MP 2.5x telephoto, 50MP front-facing
Battery life	5200mAh battery
Storage	512GB
Weight	199g

What makes it different? drilled into the basics of what makes a good photo by refining how it treats light and shadow.

The hardware here is impressive: a 50MP portrait main camera on the rear of the phone (in addition to the epic landscape-worthy 12MP ultra-wide angle), a 50MP telephoto portrait zoom, and an optimised 50MP front camera for your selfies.

The main camera uses Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), a large 1/1.3-inch sensor and supports pixel binning tech with a pixel size of 2.4μm. Don’t worry about the jargon – it gets a lot of light to the sensor, tackles low-light conditions more capably, and shows off the nuances and details within your snaps.

Loads of clever AI features within the 200 Pro learn facial expressions, portrait backgrounds and lighting atmospheres for shots that you’ll swear were taken by a professional.

The real magic happens when you switch to the portrait mode and tap into the modes developed in collaboration with Parisian portrait photographers, Studio Harcourt. They’ve shot the likes of Roger Federer, Karl Lagerfeld and Marion Cotillard, so they know their stuff.

Here, you’ll find access to exclusive effects developed for : timeless black-and-white portraits with Harcourt Classic, a warm and appealing look from Harcourt Colour, and modern elegance with the Harcourt Vibrant mode.

Gallery: Honor 200 Pro Sample Photos

Open Gallery

Creating these capabilities took over a year of work between 20 imaging experts from Studio Harcourt and Honor. They analysed over a thousand lighting scenarios and millions of shots to make it possible to capture studio-worthy portraits from the phone, no matter how challenging the conditions are. And you’re still going to get the same vivid high-quality when you switch over to the front-facing camera system too.

Even if it’s a tremendous camera, you’re going to need more features to tempt you to upgrade, surely? Fret not, this smartphone is packed with high-end techy goodness.

You’re getting a stunner of a 6.78-inch OLED display with a silky-smooth 120Hz refresh rate, the powerful Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, a hefty 512GB of storage, 12GB of RAM, IP65 water and dust resistance, a big 5200mAh battery, 66W Qi wireless charging, and the ability to recharge from dead to full in under an hour (at rapid 100W speeds).

It also runs on , based on Android 14, which has several handy shortcuts and optimisations. It’s set to get three major Android updates and four years of security updates, something to reassure you that it’ll keep running well in years to come.

What about its looks? It’s a smart and ultra-slim design, and it comes in the expected black shade as well as a graceful white and striking “Ocean Cyan” colour. The Honor 200 Pro is the full package, for a frankly surprisingly sensible price of ​​£699.

To sweeten the deal, Honor’s cutting £110 off the price if you use the voucher code AH200PJU140, bringing the RRP of £669.99 down to £559.99.

You also get the , 12 months of screen protection and the (for super-fast 100W charging) for free.

Maximilian Schwarz is a 24-year-old photographer and artist from Hamburg, Germany. He has always had a deep interest in painting and fashion, merging these passions through his photography. In early 2023, he graduated with a degree in design and now works as a freelance photographer for clients, magazines, and advertising.

In the digital age, he interestingly embraces analogue techniques, using materials such as gouache paint, pastel chalk, and dried flowers to create a unique mixed-media style. His art often tackles socially relevant topics, such as mental health and queer issues.

The inspiration behind the shoot

“Colorful splashes of paint, vibrant lines and sensitive expressiveness. Moving beyond the mundane, this shoot presents an exploration of photographs in mixed-media style. It experiments with contrasts by blurring the lines between fantasy and reality. It also challenges gender affiliations through the choice of clothing styled by Franziska Goll. For this particular shoot, I wanted to work more with bold colors balanced by a melancholy atmosphere.

“The series is about blossoming within yourself and spreading your wings. To illustrate this, I’ve been playing with different layers and materials such as flowers or feathers. The model Kelechi Onwuka also shows these emotions of vulnerability and tenderness in his expressions. Combined with poses in which he still appears slightly lost, but then opens his arms like wings, as if he is ready to fly off into a new beginning.

So, are you ready to fly?”

“As a queer man, I am still struggling to find a concept of masculinity that I can fit into. Due to the constraints of gender norms and heteronormative gender performance, it is necessary for individuals to craft their own models of masculinity and femininity that align with their identities and values. Since my interest in photography and my exploration of my queerness developed at the same time, both definitely had an impact on each other. That is why I always try to bring queer aesthetics into my work. I also feel inspired by other queer people and want to give otherness a real and authentic platform in my art.”

CREDITS

Photography/ Artwork Maximilian Schwarz @mximilianschwarz Styling Franziska Goll @_johnsy Hair and Makeup Lenya Jolie Belitz @lenyajolie.mua Model Kelechi Onwuka @keleechii Agency @modelwerk Photography Assistant Jean-Pierre Hägele @jeanxpic

June 20, 2024

Lead ImageWilliam Strobeck, 2023Photography by Jay Johnson

Looking at other artists’ work can benefit your photography in many ways. From expanding your perspectives by studying different techniques and styles to simply motivating and encouraging you, there’s a lot to gain.

Coming to you from Adrian Vila of aows, this insightful video explores how to find and collect inspiration from various sources. Vila highlights photo books as one of the best ways to learn from the masters and get inspired. While there’s plenty of inspiring work online that you might not find anywhere else, it’s not just limited to photographers. Interviews, quotes, and other forms of art can also spark your creativity. Vila believes we are in a golden age of photography, with incredible work being put out every day. Despite the noise on social media, if you curate your feed carefully, the algorithm can reward you with interesting finds.

One key point Vila emphasizes is the importance of proper websites over social media profiles. Social media is great for discovery, but a photographer’s website allows them to showcase their work the way they want. Unfortunately, many photographers don’t have updated websites. Nonetheless, finding a well-maintained website can be a goldmine of inspiration, especially if it includes a blog. Vila subscribes to most photography blogs he finds using an RSS reader, highlighting how blogs, YouTube, and podcasts are great sources of inspiration.

Vila shares his method for collecting and storing inspiration. He uses the Apple Notes app, which syncs across devices, making it easy to access anywhere. He creates a note for every inspiring photographer he discovers, including links and other information. He also keeps random notes for miscellaneous inspirations. This system ensures that whenever Vila needs a boost, he can quickly access his curated inspiration.

To collect this inspiration, Vila checks if the photographer has a book worth buying or borrowing. Even if he has the book, he likes to have the work on his phone and tablet for easy access. This way, he can study the images, make notes, and refer to them whenever needed. He emphasizes that he only does this for work that truly inspires him, avoiding the creation of an overwhelming encyclopedia of content.

Vila uses this collected inspiration not just to admire but to analyze. He studies composition, subject matter, angles, and light to see what he can apply to his own work. He asks himself if the techniques or locations could be useful for his photography. Most importantly, this collection serves as a source of inspiration during tough times, like long road trips when he’s feeling uninspired. Being able to open his notes and see incredible work can reignite his creative spark. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Vila.

Profoto’s new Fresnel Small aims to elevate the lighting capabilities of professional photographers by providing enhanced control over light shaping.

Designed for portability and ease of use, the Fresnel Small features a compact and lightweight design, making it ideal for carrying out different on-location shoots. Despite its small size, it provides a powerful and adjustable beam, giving photographers precise lighting effects. The lens ensures consistent light distribution from portraits to product photography.

Key Features:

• Compact Design: Easy to transport and set up
• Adjustable Beam: Offers control over light direction and intensity
• Consistent Light Distribution: Ensures even lighting across the subject
  
• Key measurements:
  •  Diameter of Fresnel lens: 200 mm
  •  Width: 54 cm / 21.3 in
  •  Height: 33 cm / 13 in
  •  Depth: 38 cm / 14 in
  •  Weight: 3.2 kg / 7 lb

The Fresnel Small is now available for purchase through Profoto’s official website and authorized dealers worldwide. It is retailed currently at $1495.

Who would win between a robot photographer and a human photographer?

It’s Rob vs Robot.

Agri-TechE recently celebrated their 10th anniversary (congratulations! 🥳) and asked me to be the official event photographer.

But I had competition.

Meet Eva the robot.

Now, before I start, I’ve got to say:

Robots are cool. Eva is cool.

Seeing this friendly bot glide around, encouraging attendees to capture happy moments is a unique addition to an event, and certainly grabbed attention.

My respect goes to the competition.

Now, let’s fight.

The robot’s approach was all-guns-blazing.
Mine was stealth.

The robot’s approach was to slide towards the nearest attendee and ask “can I take your photo?”. Ask and wait.

This got some lovely posed photos. I saw attendees stop and grab pictures with members of the Agri-TechE team, where they had been too busy networking to think of a selfie.

However, this backfired on a couple occasions, interrupting the conversations. It scared me at one point, sliding over to me while I joined others eating burgers. Not while I’m eating!

It also got stuck, not able to slide away after it had asked those around it. “Should we push it into the main crowd?” someone asked me.

My approach was to hunt for those having the most engaging discussions and capture the smiles from a distance, not disrupting the flow of their conversation.

I was looking for candid moments of joy and interaction, to represent how the network has engaged and brought farmers, scientists and the wider community together over the last decade.

One downside is being noticed. Some people feel conflicted when they’re deep in discussion knowing a camera is trained on them. They may want to pose a little, which makes the scene less natural.

Who won this round? Write down your scores.

The robot has faster turnaround time

The robot was instant, setup for automatic sharing.

Every photo was automatically branded with the Agri-TechE logo and event name, and could be sent directly to the subject’s email inbox.

Super quick, super convenient.

On the downside, this meant each photo existed as-is, and couldn’t be adjusted further.

I edited my photos after the event, before handing to the Agri-TechE team.

This meant group photos didn’t have discarded cups or bags in the background, so the shot was much cleaner.

On the downside, it meant it took extra time to make the edits before they were available to the Agri-TechE team.

Who won this round? Write down your scores.

I got a bit creative.

The robot is specialised in getting the perfect group selfie in an event setting.

Having its own lighting, and a fixed position, it’s always ready to capture the moment.

Plus, it’s extremely clear to the attendees what it’s trying to achieve.

The benefit of being a videographer for over 10 years is that I think like a videographer.

I adapt quickly to different situations, and test new ideas.

For example, this group photo was a perfect opportunity to use the camera’s burst mode, and turn into a GIF in post-production for sharing online.

Who won this round? Write down your scores.

“The group pic I think is probably my favourite image ever from the Agri-TechE journey. The animation just makes me smile every time I look at it.” – Belinda Clarke, CEO, Agri-TechE

So who won?

It was a fair fight, but there can only be one winner.

I’ll let you decide.

A) Hire me for your next event

B) Hire the robot for your next event

Inside the plush air-conditioned banquet hall of a five-star hotel in Delhi, it was as if the mid-June heat wave lashing the city outside was nothing but an illusion. The two tech experts from one of the leading still camera makers in the world, Nikon, were holding forth on the rich specifications and unique features of the camera they were launching.

Superior video camera, video frame rates, shoot videos non-stop, in-built N-Log and N-RAW support for high-quality video production, superior low light performance…the features of the new Z6 III rolled off their tongues as if frames in a fast-moving action video. In fact, there was so much emphasis on the video features that one really started to wonder, is this a still camera at all or a snappy new camcorder?

“It’s mostly video nowadays,” Nikon India Managing Director Sajjan Kumar said, while Gurugram-based Jogi Francis, Nikon India’s Assistant Vice President (service & technical support) explained the shift, “The whole world is shifting to videos. As a camera manufacturer, we understand the importance of video, and our designers are now (more) concentrating on video specs.”

Still, camera makers have had quite a tough 21st century – the arrival of cameras on mobile phones virtually obliterated their mass market for instant and digital cameras. Then as mobile manufacturers piled on camera features onto their teeny weeny devices, the original camera guys tried to survive by focusing on the niche, yet lucrative, market for high-end professional cameras, the likes that wedding to wildlife to fashion and advertising photographers use. Not to forget the ardent photography buff who wouldn’t think twice before blowing up a couple of lakh on additional lenses.

Just when they thought they got the formula right, the explosion of social media in general, and the wildfire-like popularity of Instagram’s short video service, Reels in particular (and TikTok in countries where it has still not been banned), had them scurrying back to the drawing boards. The new target audience – those consumers of social media in general, and the short videos on it.

“In India, the arrival of Reels has really revolutionised video,” pointed out Mumbai’s Riaan George, one of the leading lifestyle content creators in the country, who’s big on Instagram and YouTube. “Everything now, content-wise, is now optimised for Reels – music, dance, trends, ‘what’s the next Reel?’ is what content creators are thinking now,” he added.

While in much of the rest of the world, it is the personal hobbyist and family photo-minded individual who’s the primary customer for these high-end cameras, in India, the wedding photography market (closely followed by wildlife photographers) remain the biggest consumers. And, they are not aiming for still pictures anymore.

Hyderabad’s Vijay Eesam, one of India’s leading wedding photographers, puts it in perspective: “When I started in the late 2000s, wedding and candid photography meant still photography. Then around 2016, the trend began for short video formats. For the last two-three years, it is primarily video, video is what all clients want. I see video is going to be even more important by the day as Instagram Reels get more popular.”

Still, camera biggies are all making the pivot. While Leica has tied up with some leading Chinese mobile phone makers for integration, Canon was recently reported to be developing dual lens for Apple Vision Pro. Nikon itself spent about an equivalent of Rs 700 crore recently to snap up RED.com, a company which makes cameras for Hollywood films, signalling the company’s strongest intent yet to explore new areas of growth beyond still photography.

KANE — Elizabeth Kane can be remembered for many things — her writings on The Church of Latter Day Saints, her admission as one of the first women to Female Medical College of Pennsylvania, her activism for the rights of women, and her work as an amateur photographer.

Her photography is the subject of a book to be released June 22 at the Kane Depot during Reunion Weekend. Kane Historic Preservation Society, in conjunction with Brigham Young University, have co-authored a book titled “Focusing The Lens Of Exploration, A Photographic Journey Through The Life Of A 19th Century Polymath.”

Dick Bly, chairman of the Kane Historic Preservation Society, explained in a prepared release more about the woman sometimes called “The Mother of Kane.”

“Elizabeth was one of the first female photographers in the country, starting in the early 1850s and mentored with noted portrait photographer Langenheim brothers in Philadelphia,” the release stated. “Unlike portrait studios of the day, she took her camera into the wilds of Pennsylvania.”

She and her husband, Thomas Kane, an attorney who later became a famed Civil War general, were exploring the area in the 1850s for the McKean & Elk Land and Improvement Co. She traveled with her camera, capturing landscape scenes and history in and around “the Big Level,” the mountainous area around the Potter County region.

Bly continued, “Many of the photographs shown in the book are from glass negatives and a combination from both the historic society and BYU collections.”

The Kanes had a significant connection to The Church of Latter Day Saints — LDS or Mormons. Thomas Kane was influential in the westward movement of the Mormons, negotiating with the federal government on their behalf and working to obtain statehood for Utah.

Bly said, “Next to the LDS collection at Brigham Young University, the Thomas and Elizabeth Kane collection is their second largest one.”

Elizabeth Kane kept journals through most of her adult life, and some of her journal entries are included in the new book. “These journals are preserved by BYU. This collaborative project with BYU has been in the works for a few years,” Bly explained.

The book contains a forward written by Andrew O’Neill Kane, great-great-grandson of Elizabeth and Thomas Kane.

“He will be signing books at the Depot on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon,” Bly said.

The depot is located in uptown Kane at the intersection of US Route 6 and Route 66.