Young photographers aim to champion creativity over AI with new Gloucestershire business

A new photography business challenging the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the sector, has been launched by co-founders Archie Mead and Ash Hatton.

Their new business, Creaative Photography, offers creative and technically proficient photographic, video and social media content with the objective of standing out on media channels and platforms.

But to stand out, true creativity is required, argues co-founder Archie, who says that without the vital human element, a photograph or campaign will be a copy or blended copy trawled from existing images on the internet.

Archie said: "What AI can’t deliver is original raw photography. It’s not an original. There’s a vital human element missing in its creation. That’s what we create, original and creative photography using the human eye and human intelligence – Our HI.”

It's become a much-debated topic within the professional photographic and wider creative sectors.

AI algorithms can manipulate images to change colours, add or remove objects, or produce entirely new images. This is undoubtedly useful as a tool to enhance an image (and has been done for years by professional creative software), but it is increasingly being called into question when someone believes they are looking at an unaltered photograph.

Co-founder, Archie Mead, said: "Generative AI’s undoubtedly a concern for the photographic sector and every individual earning a living in the creative space.

“It’s been around for some time to manipulate existing images, but it’s evolving fast. It’s using machine learning AI to analyse pixels and create artificial image amalgamations in seconds for every conceivable subject matter.

“This is going to appeal to a lot of people who can see a time and money-saving opportunity with artificially generated images. That’s the threat for photographers.

“We’ve been using AI for several years in the post-editing stages of our work and regard it as a valuable tool. But it’s not creative intuitively. It doesn’t possess the human creative thought process and can’t create genuine raw imagery.”

Between them Archie and Ash have a strong artistic background spanning two decades, combined.

“That’s what differentiates us from AI. We’re not computers," added Archie. "We’re real people and believe our passion and genuinely creative approach helps clients stand out and project exciting fresh imagery with personality.

“We do what AI can’t and believe clients are still prepared to pay for emotionally creative and technically excellent original imagery for new products, brands, art, interiors and architecture, people and animals."