I have made multiple attempts at writing this post over the last five months. In just the past week, I’ve started it and restarted it three times. I was having trouble not sounding like I was on a rant. I also know that the majority of the world doesn’t like to read. You really realize this as an entrepreneur. It’s the bane of every self-employed person I speak with.

So I’m going to keep this as short as possible and try not to curse.

Here it is, short and sweet: your professional photographer wants you to know that it is not ok to upload their images into AI photo-generative software. You need their permission, as it is a violation of copyright. Photographers do not want their images used to train software. Even if it’s a cute “trend,” it is just an attempt to mine data. If you want to take part in the cute “trend,” use your own photos. I’m not even going to get into the privacy or environmental reasons not to do it.

And if a printing company; one that should really know better, tells you to upload your pet’s picture to have bathroom art created… say no. This one is real. I’m not going to name the company because I will not be their advertiser. They are also the reason I am making this post. When I saw their new “feature,” I was pissed. I have been stewing on it for months. If I were a client, I would have broken ties with them.

To sum it up: if you want a caricature, hire an artist. If you want your dog with a rubber duck on its head, ask your photographer. Keep things authentic. Enjoy the experience of an artist’s process or the spontaneous, joyful moments in a photography session.

In the session below, Wonder showed me her skills. She will sit with something on her head, hold something in her mouth on command, and she would rather eat a cucumber slice than have it held in front of her eyes. She and her mom got to watch me blow bubbles in a bowl, and accidentally suck some into my mouth. You won’t get those laughs from an upload.

To quote Ben Stiller’s character in Happy Gilmore: “This is handmade quality shit we’re talking here.”

Go with the handmade. Forget the weird, shiny, plastic representations spit out by AI. That isn’t your pet.

PS. The cucumber images is a combination of 3 images all shot at the same time. A composite image created by 2 hands and my computer. No prompts.