The journey, or why AI cannot replace street photography.

I recently had this conversation as a guest during a podcast, and I thought this new blog would be a good place to share my thoughts on the topic.

As a photographer and educator, I’m often asked if I feel threatened by the rise of AI in street photography, how people can now create a “perfect” image of a fake moment. My answer is simple: No algorithm will ever replace street photography, because what drives us is not the final picture, but the journey that leads to it.

What keeps me walking the streets with my camera day after day, mile after mile, is the act of seeing, of noticing beauty in the mundane, a fleeting gesture, a shaft of light cutting through the shadows, or a burst of color. No AI can replicate the moment when you feel something stir inside you. Each image I make carries what I like to call “emotional metadata”: The sounds and the smells of the streets, my emotion and mood at that instant. I remember how I felt when I pressed the shutter: joy, solitude, or anything in between. That emotional data is attached to every frame I make.

And it doesn’t stop with the photographs I keep. The missed frames, the chase, the glance exchanged with a stranger, those are equally part of the experience. They live on in memory, even if they never made it into a memory card.

This extends beyond street photography. Nature photographers, wildlife photographers, anyone who dedicates themselves to this craft, must be fueled by the journey, not just the “keepers.” Otherwise, what would be the point? If all that mattered was the image, we could all stay home and let machines generate them for us. But we don’t, because photography is not just about images, it’s about the experience, it’s about the journey.

Note: If I was simply asked the question whether AI frightens me or no, in a general sense, my answer would be completely different. In my opinion, the lack of regulations in some countries should have everyone very, very worried. But that would be a different conversation…

I look forward to reading your thoughts.