“That’s not real, that’s AI!” If you post night photos on social media, you’ve most likely received comments like this before. It’s the new way of saying, “You Photoshopped that!” Why do so many people think night photos are fake?

Ten or twelve years ago, I didn’t get very many people commenting that my night photos were fake. So what changed?

Our Post-Truth World: An Erosion of Trust

Almost everyone can agree that misinformation has increased substantially. This includes the growing dominance of social media—the very place where where most of us now share our night photos. A 2024 Pew Research Center study showed that among U.S. adults who get news from social media, the share who dislike the inaccuracy of the content has grown from 31% to 40% over the past five years. Yet about half of all adults in the U.S. say they at least sometimes get their news there.

Giving Everyone a Megaphone

Even worse, social media can give almost everyone a loud megaphone. Almost anyone with a social media or Substack account can become a “news” source. And typically, the goal is to get as many eyes to see the content as possible. Outrage is key, and stories that promote this sort of thing get “shared” far quicker than balanced, straightforward reporting. In fact, MIT researchers found that fake news can spread up to ten times faster than true reporting on social media.

I find that many people have difficulty determining what is a good source of information and what is not. And naturally, this situation exacerbates that greatly.

In light of this, it’s no surprise that a 2020 Reuters Institute study found that less than half of respondents worldwide trusted the news.

The Deluge of Disinformation Campaigns

Add to that active disinformation campaigns. The Oxford Internet Institute found evidence of organized social media campaigns in over 80 countries in 2020, up from 70 countries the year before. The report noted, “In 62 countries, we found evidence of a government agency using computational propaganda to shape public attitudes.” These campaigns seek to manipulate public opinion by “creating disinformation or manipulated media, data-driven targeting, and employing abusive strategies such as mounting smear campaigns or online harassment.” We see this on social media through tactics such as fake accounts, the purposeful spreading of propaganda, and more.

With this backdrop, does your unusual-looking night photo even stand a chance of having people think it’s real? And we haven’t touched on all the reasons why everyone thinks your night photos are fake.

Creating Fake Images Becomes Easier

Just a few years ago, someone might have said, “That night photo has been Photoshopped!” That was the 2020 way of saying, “That’s fake.” An accusation like this can sting. Someone, after all, is saying that you are lying. Someone is saying that you are purposely trying to deceive people. 

And to be sure, some night photos were fake. Some people would swap out a sky for a vibrant Milky Way sky. FStoppers covered Peter Lik’s “Great Moon Debate,” wondering if the photo had been faked. Photographers wondered whether clouds should be behind the moon (hint: probably not!).

Of course, photographers have created fake images in the darkroom for many decades. The first HDR photo was made in the mid-1800s, after all!

But Photoshop and Luminar made it even simpler to drop in a sky, flying birds, and more, just with the press of a button. People’s trust in photos, including night photos, was greatly eroded.

And with that, AI entered the room.

The Emergence of AI

I don’t have to tell you how easy it is to create an AI image. With programs like Nano Banana or SeeDream 4.0, it’s easier than ever to make reasonably realistic photographs based on photos that you upload. Type in a description or a few keywords, and in a few seconds, you have an image. Sometimes, it’s surprisingly good. But it’s still fake. And it’s still not a photo.

If It Requires Explaining…

…you’ve already lost half the people. So it is with anything. 

For example, if a non-profit organization is seeking donations, an organization such as Exceptional Children’s Foundation that serves cute children who have special needs typically has a much easier time than, say, DarkSky International, which has to explain what light pollution is, why it’s harmful, why it’s bad for the health of humans and animals, and what we can do about it.

And so it is with night photos.

If any night photographer has an exhibit or posts many night photos on social media, they are constantly asked questions like these:

Why are your photos brighter than what the night actually looks like?

Why can I see colors in your photos when I can’t see colors at night?

Why is it that the Milky Way never looks like that when I see it?

What are those weird streaks of light in the sky?

Why does your full moon photo look almost like it’s daylight?

How can you take a photo when it’s dark outside?

Why is it that I never see this many stars with my eyes?

If you claim to be light painting by walking through the scene, why is it that you cannot be seen in the photo?

So What Do We Do About It?

Night photographers are a very small group of people. The best thing we can do about it is provide constant education and, of course, not create fake photos in the first place. Or at least, if creating something that actually didn’t exist at the time, such as a composite photo, be upfront with it. Creating fake night photos and passing off AI images as real will only continue to erode people’s trust.