{"id":92913,"date":"2025-10-20T16:23:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T16:23:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/92913\/"},"modified":"2025-10-20T16:23:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T16:23:12","slug":"the-most-prompted-photographers-on-ai-image-generator-midjourney-revealed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/92913\/","title":{"rendered":"The Most Prompted Photographers on AI Image Generator Midjourney Revealed"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/a>Can you guess which photographers Midjourney is imitating here? All images AI-generated. <\/p>\n

The top 200 photographers requested by Midjourney users have been exclusively revealed to PetaPixel \u2014 and it\u2019s a world-famous, still active photographer that tops the list. <\/p>\n

The research carried out by Kapwing<\/a> for PetaPixel was done by trawling through the Midlibrary database<\/a> which curates popular styles on Midjourney. Then, the team recorded the number of AI video and image prompts containing keywords (e.g., \u201cAnsel Adams\u201d) on the Midjourney Discord. The below data is accurate as of yesterday (October 19). <\/p>\n

Users on Midjourney can create an AI image by typing in a prompt. If they want to imitate a well-known artist then they can write something like \u201cLeonardo Da Vinci\u2019s painting depicting\u2026\u201d This practice remains massively controversial. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe arguments around the right to invoke existing artists\u2019 styles in image and video generation are complex, emotionally charged \u2014 and still unresolved,\u201d Kapwing notes<\/a> in its research. <\/p>\n

The Top 10 Prompted Photographers on Midjourney <\/p>\n

Number One: Annie Leibovitz \u2013 46,791 prompts<\/p>\n

It shouldn\u2019t be a surprise to anyone that Annie Leibovitz is at the top of the list. If you asked random people on the street to name any photographer, the chances are Leibovitz is the name they would say. <\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>Annie Leibovitz. | WPPi<\/a> <\/p>\n

Leibovitz is acclaimed for her portraits which started in the early 1970s when she worked for Rolling Stone magazine, capturing iconic portraits of musicians \u2014 including John Lennon and Yoko Ono hours before Lennon\u2019s death. <\/p>\n

The American photographer has continued to work for magazines like Vanity Fair and Vogue, and has photographed almost every person of note. Her work continues to be talked about<\/a> and she firmly remains the world\u2019s foremost photographer. <\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>\u2018Portrait of an aging actress, by Annie Leibovitz.\u2019 Created by Midjourney <\/p>\n

Number Two: Helmut Newton \u2013 30,520 prompts<\/p>\n

The New York Times described fashion photogpraher Helmut Newton as \u201cwidely imitated\u201d and artificial intelligence is carrying on that trend as the German-Australian photographer is number two on the Midjourney list. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>A portrait of the late Helmut Newton by his wife Alice Springs. Image by Ralf Liebau (CC BY-SA 3.0).<\/p>\n

Newton is known for his provocative fashion and nude photography. His best-known work is his black-and-white photos showing naked women in surreal situations \u2014 some of which are considered controversial today. But Newton\u2019s work regularly graced the pages of Vogue and Harper\u2019s Bazaar and he is widely considered one of the most influential and imitated photographers of all time.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>\u2018Fashion portrait of female model, black and white photography, provocative, New York City, by Helmut Newton.\u2019 Created by Midjourney <\/p>\n

Number Three: Sandy Skoglund \u2013 29,908 prompts<\/p>\n

Sandy Skoglund is an American conceptual photographer known for her whimsical, painterly photographs often made from elaborate sets. \u201cSandy Skoglund\u2019s Midjourney style representation captures her signature surreal and fantastical elements,\u201d Midlibrary says<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>\u2018Conceptual animal photo by by Sandy Skoglund.\u2019 Created by Midjourney <\/p>\n

Number Four: Nan Goldin \u2013 25,486 prompts<\/p>\n

Another well known American photographer, Goldin explores themes of identity and intimacy. She is best known for her work with the LGBT community in New York in the 1980s. <\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>Nan Goldin. Midjourney artistic styles. | Midlibrary<\/a> <\/p>\n

Number Five: Gregory Crewdson \u2013 2,943 prompts<\/p>\n

Gregory Crewdson\u2019s work is reminiscent of filmmaker David Lynch but in his still images, Crewdson\u2019s creepy depictions of American suburbia blur the lines between big movie production sets and photography. <\/p>\n

\"Four<\/a>Gregory Crewdson. Midjourney artistic styles. | Midlibrary<\/a> <\/p>\n

Number Six: Petra Collins \u2013 18,681 prompts<\/p>\n

Petra Collins\u2019 name has become a byword for a certain aesthetic; the same one Selena Gomez wanted for her wedding photos<\/a> recently. <\/p>\n

Canadian photographer Collins gained prominence in the early 2010s for her emotionally charged, dreamlike photography shot on film. She has been credited as \u201cleading a new wave of female gaze-led photography.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>Petra Collins. Midjourney artistic style. | Midlibrary<\/a> <\/p>\n

Number Seven: Elsa Bleda \u2013 16,997 prompts<\/p>\n

Like Collins, Elsa Bleda has a strong aesthetic but one that focuses more on cityscapes than portraiture. \u201cBleda\u2019s Midjourney style is characterized by its surreal and cinematic qualities, featuring muted tones with neon accents that evoke a sense of mystery and fantasy,\u201d notes Midlibrary. <\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>Elsa Bleda. Midjourney artistic styles. | Midlibrary<\/a> <\/p>\n

Number Eight: Ansel Adams \u2013 16,600 prompts<\/p>\n

Arguably the most iconic American photographer of all time, Ansel Adams\u2019 black and white landscapes defined the American West in the 20th century. \"A<\/a>Ansel Adams. Midjourney artistic styles. | Midlibrary<\/a><\/p>\n

Number Nine: Man Ray \u2013 14,792 prompts<\/p>\n

Another all-time great who is closely associated with the Surrealist and Dada movements that centered in Paris in the 1920s. Man Ray is a photography pioneer who pushed the limits of the medium but considered himself a painter. <\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>Man Ray. Midjourney artistic styles. | Midlibrary<\/a> <\/p>\n

Number ten: Richard Avedon \u2013 14,681 prompts<\/p>\n

The work of fashion and portrait photographer Richard Avedon is instantly recognizable for his high-key, high-contrast, arresting style. \u201cRichard Avedon\u2019s Midjourney style representation is characterized by its surreal and classical approach to portraiture. The images are predominantly black and white, emphasizing fine lines and expressive details,\u201d says Midlibrary. <\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>Richard Avedon. Midjourney artistic styles. | Midlibrary<\/a> The Top 200 Prompted Photographers on Midjourney <\/p>\n

Kapwing produced a list of the 200 most prompted photographers that contain huge names like William Eggleston, Diane Arbus, Vivian Maier, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Weegee, Robert Capa, and Lee Miller, among many others. <\/p>\n

Annie Leibovitz \u2013 46,791 prompts
Helmut Newton \u2013 30,520 prompts
Sandy Skoglund \u2013 29,908 prompts
Nan Goldin \u2013 25,486 prompts
Gregory Crewdson \u2013 24,943 prompts
Petra Collins \u2013 18,681 prompts
Elsa Bleda \u2013 16,997 prompts
Ansel Adams \u2013 16,600 prompts
Man Ray \u2013 14,792 prompts
Richard Avedon \u2013 14,681 prompts
Nick Knight \u2013 11,361 prompts
Alex Strohl \u2013 10,739 prompts
Steven Klein \u2013 9,898 prompts
Marta Bevacqua \u2013 8,668 prompts
Hans Bellmer \u2013 8,628 prompts
Brandon Woelfel \u2013 8,443 prompts
Diane Arbus \u2013 7,445 prompts
William Eggleston \u2013 7,239 prompts
Peter Lindbergh \u2013 6,292 prompts
Paolo Roversi \u2013 6,149 prompts
Vivian Maier \u2013 6,149 prompts
Miss Aniela \u2013 6,120 prompts
Martin Parr \u2013 5,541 prompts
Robert Mapplethorpe \u2013 5,536 prompts
Irving Penn \u2013 5,250 prompts
Zhang Jingna \u2013 5,183 prompts
Oleg Oprisco \u2013 5,081 prompts
Erik Madigan Heck \u2013 4,749 prompts
Liam Wong \u2013 4,715 prompts
Pierre et Gilles \u2013 4,615 prompts
Mandy Disher \u2013 4,184 prompts
Bella Kotak \u2013 4,160 prompts
Anne Geddes \u2013 4,081 prompts
Ellen von Unwerth \u2013 3,943 prompts
Marcin Sobas \u2013 3,807 prompts
Aliza Razell \u2013 3,733 prompts
Guy Bourdin \u2013 3,660 prompts
Sacha Goldberger \u2013 3,560 prompts
William Klein \u2013 3,169 prompts
Alessio Albi \u2013 3,167 prompts
Steve McCurry \u2013 3,077 prompts
Brooke DiDonato \u2013 2,990 prompts
Karl Blossfeldt \u2013 2,929 prompts
Roger Ballen \u2013 2,904 prompts
Miles Aldridge \u2013 2,873 prompts
Nell Dorr \u2013 2,857 prompts
Spencer Tunick \u2013 2,568 prompts
Cindy Sherman \u2013 2,551 prompts
Rachel Maclean \u2013 2,523 prompts
Bill Brandt \u2013 2,508 prompts
Terry Richardson \u2013 2,468 prompts
Marianna Rothen \u2013 2,364 prompts
Andreas Levers \u2013 2,327 prompts
Iwan Baan \u2013 2,290 prompts
Edward Burtynsky \u2013 2,213 prompts
Henri Cartier-Bresson \u2013 2,056 prompts
Miki Asai \u2013 2,029 prompts
Martin Schoeller \u2013 2,013 prompts
Jan Saudek \u2013 1,993 prompts
Nobuyoshi Araki \u2013 1,987 prompts
Akos Major \u2013 1,976 prompts
Bess Hamiti \u2013 1,911 prompts
Tami Bone \u2013 1,894 prompts
Weegee \u2013 1,863 prompts
Ezra Stoller \u2013 1,831 prompts
Carl Kleiner \u2013 1,827 prompts
Tim Flach \u2013 1,760 prompts
Bert Stern \u2013 1,736 prompts
Robert Capa \u2013 1,703 prompts
Brooke Shaden \u2013 1,681 prompts
Dorothea Lange \u2013 1,589 prompts
Natalia Drepina \u2013 1,484 prompts
Stephen Shore \u2013 1,452 prompts
Keith Carter \u2013 1,410 prompts
Frieke Janssens \u2013 1,400 prompts
Mikko Lagerstedt \u2013 1,399 prompts
Ren Hang \u2013 1,399 prompts
Bill Gekas \u2013 1,398 prompts
Nadav Kander \u2013 1,360 prompts
Matt Molloy \u2013 1,293 prompts
Patrick Demarchelier \u2013 1,276 prompts
Alfred Stieglitz \u2013 1,225 prompts
Olivia Locher \u2013 1,140 prompts
Gordon Parks \u2013 1,115 prompts
Victor Enrich \u2013 1,108 prompts
Jerry Uelsmann \u2013 1,072 prompts
Veronika Pinke \u2013 1,067 prompts
Joel Meyerowitz \u2013 1,054 prompts
Maia Flore \u2013 1,054 prompts
Marc Lagrange \u2013 1,037 prompts
Michael Shainblum \u2013 1,002 prompts
Zanele Muholi \u2013 1,002 prompts
Jeff Wall \u2013 948 prompts
Michael Kenna \u2013 932 prompts
Frank Horvat \u2013 915 prompts
Marilyn Minter \u2013 880 prompts
Alex Prager \u2013 863 prompts
Olivier Valsecchi \u2013 856 prompts
Scarlett Hooft Graafland \u2013 827 prompts
Paul Barson \u2013 800 prompts
Mario Giacomelli \u2013 792 prompts
Frans Lanting \u2013 789 prompts
Ray Collins \u2013 778 prompts
Paul Zizka \u2013 767 prompts
Imogen Cunningham \u2013 756 prompts
Zhang Kechun \u2013 752 prompts
Josef Koudelka \u2013 720 prompts
Katia Chausheva \u2013 711 prompts
Don McCullin \u2013 701 prompts
Inna Mosina \u2013 690 prompts
Edward Weston \u2013 674 prompts
Bettina Rheims \u2013 668 prompts
Tyler Shields \u2013 658 prompts
Misha Gordin \u2013 645 prompts
Nick Veasey \u2013 640 prompts
Zena Holloway \u2013 619 prompts
Andreas Franke \u2013 615 prompts
Walker Evans \u2013 600 prompts
Alasdair McLellan \u2013 589 prompts
Monia Merlo \u2013 586 prompts
Bertil Nilsson \u2013 572 prompts
Larry Clark \u2013 571 prompts
Olive Cotton \u2013 552 prompts
Aaron Siskind \u2013 535 prompts
Mark Seliger \u2013 529 prompts
Julius Shulman \u2013 526 prompts
Nathan Wirth \u2013 513 prompts
Brian Skerry \u2013 507 prompts
William Wegman \u2013 506 prompts
Alex Timmermans \u2013 491 prompts
Larry Fink \u2013 489 prompts
Lee Miller \u2013 484 prompts
Vik Muniz \u2013 484 prompts
Milton H. Greene \u2013 473 prompts
Paul Fusco \u2013 455 prompts
Julie Blackmon \u2013 453 prompts
Richard Kern \u2013 451 prompts
Martin Stranka \u2013 450 prompts
Laurent Baheux \u2013 449 prompts
Dora Maar \u2013 434 prompts
Alfred Cheney Johnston \u2013 425 prompts
Chris Burkard \u2013 423 prompts
TJ Drysdale \u2013 420 prompts
Alastair Magnaldo \u2013 420 prompts
Patty Maher \u2013 409 prompts
Philippe Halsman \u2013 404 prompts
Arthur Elgort \u2013 396 prompts
Gjon Mili \u2013 392 prompts
Rodney Smith \u2013 387 prompts
Larry Sultan \u2013 384 prompts
Josef Sudek \u2013 369 prompts
Matthias Jung \u2013 365 prompts
Ed Freeman \u2013 353 prompts
Terry O\u2019Neill \u2013 344 prompts
Robby Cavanaugh \u2013 314 prompts
Mary Ellen Mark \u2013 307 prompts
Andreas Feininger \u2013 301 prompts
Bill Durgin \u2013 298 prompts
Ben Goossens \u2013 277 prompts
Ilse Bing \u2013 268 prompts
Alvin Langdon Coburn \u2013 260 prompts
Ando Fuchs \u2013 258 prompts
Julia Margaret Cameron \u2013 255 prompts
Paul Nicklen \u2013 255 prompts
Bruce Davidson \u2013 246 prompts
Alex Howitt \u2013 241 prompts
Etienne-Jules Marey \u2013 236 prompts
Mark Steinmetz \u2013 222 prompts
Gabriele Viertel \u2013 221 prompts
Ralph Eugene Meatyard \u2013 219 prompts
Richard Misrach \u2013 208 prompts
Mathew Brady \u2013 200 prompts
Lewis Hine \u2013 188 prompts
Nick Brandt \u2013 178 prompts
Karen Knorr \u2013 167 prompts
Martha Rosler \u2013 161 prompts
Toni Frissell \u2013 160 prompts
Jack Spencer \u2013 157 prompts
Michael Wesely \u2013 149 prompts
Fritz Henle \u2013 138 prompts
Anne Brigman \u2013 136 prompts
Malick Sidibe \u2013 127 prompts
Antanas Sutkus \u2013 121 prompts
Bert Hardy \u2013 119 prompts
Laure Albin Guillot \u2013 112 prompts
Marianne Breslauer \u2013 107 prompts
Nelleke Pieters \u2013 101 prompts
Andre de Dienes \u2013 96 prompts
Miroslav Tichy \u2013 91 prompts
Carleton Watkins \u2013 79 prompts
Max Dupain \u2013 78 prompts
Nicholas Hughes \u2013 52 prompts
Ray Metzker \u2013 47 prompts
Geof Kern \u2013 46 prompts
Martine Franck \u2013 36 prompts
Paolo Pellegrin \u2013 35 prompts
Clarence H. White \u2013 23 prompts
W. Eugene Smith \u2013 17 prompts
Wolfgang Suschitzky \u2013 14 prompts
Arne Svenson \u2013 6 prompts<\/p>\n

PetaPixel\u2019s Take <\/p>\n

Jeremy Gray<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything wrong with photographers trying to emulate the style of their favorite famous photographers. It\u2019s an entirely natural part of the process. However, to remove the camera from the equation puts a sour taste in my mouth. <\/p>\n

Generating \u201cphotos\u201d in the style of someone else with text prompts in a web app, like so much of the AI slop on the web, reflects complete creative bankruptcy. <\/p>\n

As for which photographers are on the list of most inspiring or most victimized, depending on your view, it\u2019s an interesting mix. But one thing they all have in common is that they use, or used, their cameras as artistic tools to capture specific moments in time and tell meaningful stories rooted in reality. A prompt for generative AI does none of that.<\/p>\n

Further, AI initiates interesting discussions on how much a person\u2019s hard-earned, established aesthetic style is part and parcel their protected creative work. Untangling the \u201clook\u201d of an artist from the \u201cwork\u201d of an artist is complicated, and AI may very well prove to be on the wrong side of the matter.<\/p>\n

Matt Growcoot<\/p>\n

How you feel about the wrongs or rights of emulating a photographer for an AI image will undoubtedly color the way you see this list. But putting that thorny issue to one side for a moment, it is a fascinating mix of names that tell us something about which photographers are breaking through. <\/p>\n

Names like Petra Collins and Elsa Bleda have only recently found fame, yet they appear sixth and seventh on this list. I have to admit, I hadn\u2019t even heard of Bleda but she now has one extra Instagram follower. Like Collins, Bleda\u2019s photos are cinematic, evocative, or as the kids say, vibes. <\/p>\n

Other vibey young photographers on the list are Alex Strohl (number 14) and Jingna Zhang (number 28). Strohl is huge on social media and his landscape photographs are both moody and moving. While Zhang\u2019s conceptual portraits are beautiful, I know for certain she will not be happy to be on this list as Zhang is involved with lawsuits against several AI companies, including Google. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Can you guess which photographers Midjourney is imitating here? All images AI-generated. The top 200 photographers requested by…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":92914,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[58865,58866,28589,307,304,305,306,308,93,58867,58868,61,60,58869,2030,16987],"class_list":{"0":"post-92913","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-aiimage","9":"tag-aiimagegenerator","10":"tag-annieleibovitz","11":"tag-arts","12":"tag-arts-and-design","13":"tag-artsanddesign","14":"tag-artsdesign","15":"tag-design","16":"tag-entertainment","17":"tag-generativeai","18":"tag-helmutnewton","19":"tag-ie","20":"tag-ireland","21":"tag-kapwing","22":"tag-midjourney","23":"tag-prompt"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92913"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92913\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}