I ran into a quote that I absolutely feel deep down into my soul: the fetishization of realism kills art. This is the ideal that so many Japanese lens manufacturers have embraced. When this is combined with the fact that photographers are copying other visual media all the time and only making images to please algorithms, we truly begin to see why modern photography sucks so much. And more importantly, it shows us why we’re so obsessed with the past and how creativity has been massacred.
For many years, the Phoblographer covered the art world. And after some time, when we interviewed photographers, we had to have proof that they made their images without AI. On top of that, we only featured photographs that we think AI couldn’t necessarily make. The images had to feel human but also had to embrace creativity — often without the use of excessive post-production. In 2025, post-production isn’t photography. It’s a part of the process, but modern vernacular makes people think that you can make a photograph without the use of a camera and only through compositing. And that’s just not true.
Photography needs to take a major step forward and stop always embracing realism except in the case of proper photojournalism and documentary work. Street photography these days isn’t often artfully done. Nor is bird photography and wildlife photography.
Modern photography sucks because so many photographers simply just capture an image and then work on it in post-production. Instead, they don’t work to create a photograph.
If you’re not understanding what that statement means, then know that there’s a difference between capturing and creating. Capturing, quite honestly, can by done these days without major input by you. But creating involves decision making on your part and actively being involved in the process.
The problem: too many photographers are too busy using their cameras to make content instead of photographs. The truth is that really solid photographs will outdo a standard, boring video on social media any day of the week.
Photographers: start using your imagination. Read books and make your brain work instead of constantly copying one another.
Please, do it for the love of photography. We’ve forgotten how to do this and it’s a major part of why we all love the past so much.