{"id":383907,"date":"2026-04-09T21:42:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T21:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/383907\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T21:42:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T21:42:13","slug":"nearly-90-of-surveyed-working-photographers-are-using-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/383907\/","title":{"rendered":"Nearly 90% of Surveyed Working Photographers Are Using AI"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-perfmatters-preload=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/vsco-ai-survey-featured-800x420.jpg\" alt=\"A white circular grid icon with evenly spaced segments is centered on a blue-green abstract background featuring bubbles and organic shapes.\" width=\"800\" height=\"420\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-848417\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>VSCO has increasingly incorporated artificial intelligence (AI) into its photography products, including AI Lab, a dedicated AI-based editing platform inside the VSCO app on iOS. To better understand how photographers feel about AI and how they want to use it in their photography workflow, VSCO conducted a survey of photographers across the U.S. and Canada in December, and the results are quite interesting. The company published its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vsco.co\/research\/photographers-ai\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"follow external noopener nofollow\">report<\/a> today. <\/p>\n<p>VSCO <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vsco.co\/research\/photographers-ai\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"follow external noopener nofollow\">surveyed<\/a> 401 \u201cgeneral popular photographers\u201d in the U.S. and Canada, independent of VSCO\u2019s user base, and asked each how they perceive, use, and think about AI in creative and business environments. VSCO separated the respondents into two groups: 56 percent were working photographers, and 44 percent were self-described enthusiasts who are serious about photography but do not earn money from it. <\/p>\n<p>Among the surveyed photographers, the most popular genres were travel and lifestyle, followed by landscape, nature, and wildlife. Portrait photography rounded out the top three. Across the board, despite the diversity of types of photographers in the survey, the vast majority use AI in some capacity already as part of their workflow. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/00-Key-Findings-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"A black slide lists eight key findings about AI in photography, highlighting trends such as mainstream adoption, efficiency, cautious use, focus on creativity, and new business opportunities.\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-848416\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/00-Photographers-Surveyed-Genres-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"Bar chart showing photographers\u2019 specialties: Travel, Lifestyle (60%), Landscape, Nature, Wildlife (58%), Portrait (41%), Street (36%), Fashion (29%), Wedding, Events (25%), Commercial (23%), Abstract, Fine Art (22%), Real Estate (11%), Journalism, Editorial (10%).\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-848415\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cPhotographers aren\u2019t debating whether AI belongs in their workflow any longer \u2014 83 percent are already using it,\u201d says VSCO CEO Eric Wittman. \u201cOver half use it weekly or daily. Among working photographers, that number doubles compared to enthusiasts \u2014 68 percent use AI weekly or daily compared to 34 percent of enthusiasts.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>As Wittman acknowledges, photographers have \u201clegitimate concerns about creative control, ethics, and professionalism\u201d regarding AI. However, in VSCO\u2019s survey, fewer than five percent of respondents feel threatened by AI. More respondents are generally open to AI in their workflow, at least in limited ways. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01-AI-Adoption-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"An infographic titled &quot;AI Adoption Is Mainstream&quot; shows 83% of photographers use AI, with a pie chart splitting 88% of working photographers and 76% of enthusiasts. Usage expected to rise 38% by 2024 and 29% by 2025.\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-848414\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/02-Working-Photographers-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"Infographic on AI usage among photographers: 68% of working photographers use AI weekly\/daily vs. 34% of enthusiasts; 44% and 31% increased AI use in past year; 4% and 17% haven\u2019t used AI tools yet.\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-848413\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis points toward a considered, practical relationship with technology, shaped by experience, not hype,\u201d Wittman continues. \u201cThe deeper issue this research surfaces is the competition for their time. Nearly half of photographers spend between a quarter and half of their working hours on tasks that bring little creative satisfaction \u2014 file organization, planning, communication, promotion. For working photographers, time spent in this drudgery is even higher.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Per VSCO, its findings point toward a future where AI is a helpful assistant or supporter to human-centered, human-driven creativity. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt VSCO, that belief continues to guide how we think about technology: not as an end itself, but as a way to more deeply support photographers\u2019 business and craft.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/03-Sentiment-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"A data graphic titled &quot;Curiosity Supersedes Fear&quot; shows survey results about reactions to AI in photography: 19% excited, 14% hopeful, 12% inspired, 32% curious, 17% skeptical, and 5% threatened. 49% of working photographers and 37% of enthusiasts report positive emotions.\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-848412\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/05-Support-Role-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"A bar chart shows how photographers use AI: 55% for production assistant, 42% as creative partner, 36% for business admin, and 29% as coach\/mentor. A note says AI is mainly used for handling repetitive tasks.\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-848411\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Among all respondents, the strongest demand for AI focuses on tools that handle tedious tasks, such as organizing files, keywording photos, culling, handling emails and scheduling, and sending invoices. More photographers than not want AI to handle more of the tasks that support or surround the image-making process itself. <\/p>\n<p>In some cases, especially with admin, photographers are trying to fit general-purpose AI tools into their workflows. There aren\u2019t many AI tools specifically built for photography businesses yet. <\/p>\n<p>The most popular AI wishlist item among all respondents was personalized image editing tools that accurately learn a photographer\u2019s style. However, among working photographers, the most desired AI tools focus on marketing, pricing and proposals, and client communication. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/06-Business-Management-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"Infographic showing photographers' workflow relief needs: 42% want help with file organization, 37% with contracts and invoicing, 30% with client communication, and 28% with marketing. Includes supporting text and statistics.\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-848410\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/09-AI-Wishlist-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"Infographic titled &quot;Efficiency, Learning, and Personalization&quot; shows top five AI wishlist tools for photographers in 2026: style-aware editing, batch processing, personalized learning, AI marketing, pricing\/proposals, and client communication.\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-848409\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>VSCO believes the results it received from photographers suggest that photographers are generally ready for AI tools, and it is now a question of to build the precise software that photographers want. Nearly half of working photographers have positive emotions toward AI, and 44 percent used more AI in 2025 than the year before. Just four percent of working photographers in VSCO\u2019s survey have never used AI tools. <\/p>\n<p>As always, it is interesting to see how companies, specifically those that cater to photographers like VSCO, handle AI. It\u2019s one thing to assist and help photographers and another to replace them. VSCO says it\u2019s committed to using AI to give photographers back their time so they can focus on the aspects of photography they care about most. Hopefully, that remains true indefinitely as the company expands its AI-based tools. <\/p>\n<p>Image credits: VSCO. Header photo created using an asset licensed via <a href=\"https:\/\/depositphotos.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow external noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">Depositphotos.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"VSCO has increasingly incorporated artificial intelligence (AI) into its photography products, including AI Lab, a dedicated AI-based editing&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":383908,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[345,146,85,46,32125,19390,6297,53751],"class_list":{"0":"post-383907","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-ai","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-il","11":"tag-israel","12":"tag-photographers","13":"tag-professionals","14":"tag-survey","15":"tag-vsco"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=383907"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383907\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/383908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=383907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=383907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=383907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}