How are you using AI? (Not talking about image manipulation)

[-ST-]

I'm not using AI to manipulate my images directly (sky fills or generative crop/expand), but I'm getting some value from it.


A. Helping me to see and edit.
Here's an example.

• ILCE-1
• FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II
• 80.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/1000 sec
• ISO 3200

I upload the image to the AI, and it gives me a report like this.

612 — U‑bolt securing frayed rope​

1. Photographer’s Eye​

• Tight framing isolates the clamp and frayed fibres with no competing elements.
• Geometry is strong: the U‑bolt forms a natural anchor point; the rope’s diagonal adds tension.
• Light is soft and even, revealing texture without harsh speculars.
• Depth of field is shallow enough to separate subject from background while retaining context.
• Edges are clean; nothing intrudes.
• Gesture is the fray itself — a clear, readable moment of wear and containment.

2. Art Critic’s Eye​

• Symbolism is immediate: restraint, boundary, repair, tension.
• Emotional tone is quiet, observational, slightly forensic.
• Narrative implication: something once open is now controlled; something once whole is now held together.
• The fray vs. the clamp creates a natural metaphor for fragility and intervention.

3. What Makes This Image Work​

• Strong texture.
• Clear subject hierarchy.
• Good use of shallow depth.
• Documentary clarity with symbolic overtones.

4. Opportunities Within the Frame​

• Slight tonal deepening of the clamp could add micro-contrast.
• A subtle vignette could reinforce subject isolation.
• Very minor edge cleanup on the brightest fibres.

5. Opportunities Behind the Lens​

• A slightly lower angle might have increased the sense of tension in the rope.
• A marginally longer focal length could compress the background further.

6. Impact​

• Leaves a sense of quiet constraint — a small but meaningful boundary in a protected place.

7. Editorial Role​

• A supporting frame or context piece in a Blackie Spit documentary sequence.
• Could also serve as a symbolic opener.

B. Sharing photos

I walk the Crescent Beach area every morning, and people can't help notice the big white 200-600 and 70-200. People ask me, "Where can I see your photos?". I set up an Instagram account, so I could have something to say. I had no interest in social media, but the early morning people at the beach are a community. I inadvertently became one of them. I thought an Instagram account would let me share some images easily. @CrescentBeachPhotos.

Over time, people would talk to me about my photos they had seen in my feed. They rarely comment online, but they do, in person. That's pretty gratifying.

But I've come to loathe the whole social media experience. It's too easy to start posting for the algorithm instead of the people.

I don't need a full-featured e-commerce website. I had one of those site-in-a-box solutions for another project. That one is wound down now, and I could have converted it. But it's more than I need to share a few photos with nodding acquaintances.

With help from an AI, I spun up a tiny website last night. I already had the technology stack in place.

The intent is just to put a few photos from the beach in there every day. It's unlikely I'd have more than 30 images. I'd just add a few and purge the oldest. Simple. When I've figured out the least amount of technology needed I'll change the name to something more appropriate and get off Instagram.

There's no posting/upload process. I just put some images into a folder, and they are immediately accessible.

The one-page site took about an hour to configure. The AI wrote the code for the page in moments. I went through a few iterations to get the behavior (tap/swipe) and include EXIF data. But the longest part was waiting for the DNS propagation. (No work, just waiting for the web to recognize that you're there).

These days, when AI can make things look amazing, I think a little rough-around-the-edges adds authenticity.

If you'd like to take a look, here is the website.

I'd be grateful for your thoughts about the critique (A above) or the idea behind the website.

Cheers,
ST

 

[Unframed Dave]

I'm not and have no intention of doing so.

Each to their own and all that.

 

[DonaldB]

been using Portrait Pro for 5 years professionally, ai has been around for years theres nothing new about it in 2026