The stock photography industry has been undergoing a dramatic transformation, driven by rapid advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Tools like Topaz Labs’ suite of AI-enhanced photo editing software and Phototag’s AI-powered tagging solutions have revolutionised how photographers create, enhance, and manage their portfolios. While these technologies have unlocked unprecedented efficiency and creative potential, they also present a new challenge: complacency.

Check out a previous blog post on strategies for stock contributors in the age of AI.

Future-Proofing Creativity: 5 Strategies for Stock Photographers & Videographers in the Age of AI

Pretty strong introduction, right? Well, it wasn’t even created by me…as I asked Chat GPT to create a title and introduction title for this blog post! This output also ties into the theme of that perhaps we’re all becoming too complacent and relying on AI to do the heavy lifting, including blog posts. Now, I promise going forward will be all written by me on this hot summer day in Portugal.

Oh and read towards the end as I’ll discuss a drone footage contributor who is earning over $2k a month and is giving me some hope!

Avoiding Technical Complacency – AI in Photo Editing

I was shooting yesterday, as I do on most days, and there was a particular shot that I wanted to capture for a potential book cover. It was a metal box hanging from a wire on a construction crane. I took the shot and looked at my camera at 100% and it wasn’t super sharp and the lighting wasn’t the best…

…but I thought to myself, I’ll just fix it later using AI, notably Topaz for sharpening/noise reduction. Or if I want to do a large crop I can upsize the image using Topaz Gigapixel AI.

While AI tools can fix imperfections and streamline workflows, they also risk making us less diligent about perfecting our craft. It’s essential to keep challenging ourselves to capture the best possible shot in-camera, rather than relying on AI to fix issues later. (Ok, I lied, this last paragraph was 100% Chat GPT).

How would it have been 10 years ago?

If I was attempting the same crane shot 10 years I would have most likely put in more effort to ensure that the RAW image was the best it could be…even if it meant having to go back to the same spot later on with better lighting. Back then the tools available to fix motion-blur/noise were far inferior to what we have today.

As for inputting the metadata, I would have probably have to do it myself by brainstorming or at best looking at similar images and copying leading to perhaps inaccuracies if I were not careful. These days I use PhotoTag which does a fantastic job at an affordable price.

What tools do you rely on most, and how have they changed your workflow?

My workflow now is lightning fast, largely thanks to AI tools

With these more advanced AI tools one thing is clear, I can create, post-process and upload content many times faster than a few years ago. Will these tools help me to offset my earnings which have stagnated? Not sure as this industry is notoriously difficult to predict with plenty of “Exciting News”. The point is that I must keep working hard to try to improve my content and make it as commercially relevant and technically excellent as possible.

The Future of Drones

Even when it comes to flying my drone, today I can create waypoints before a flight and after inputting in some technical settings the drone will fly in automated mode, including Master Shots.

Not quite AI but won’t be surprised when in a few years drones almost fly themselves with advanced technologies in complex environments.

Brainstorming the future of Drones

These drones will be able to adjust flight paths in real-time and even learn from past experiences for more efficient/safer flights. These technologies should allow drone pilots to have more creative possibilities while the drone handles the technical and safety issues, including real-time location-specific weather warnings, for instance if the wind is expected to pick up in the next 5-10 minutes.

For instance, I captured the clip below using my trusty DJI Air 3 where I was manually following the jetskis at around 68km/h on sport mode. I wonder in 10 years what the Air 10 will be able to achieve in a similar setting – most likely I won’t be doing much flying as most functions will be automated, probably including speech – “DJI Drone, capture a variety of shots/videos of the three yellow jetskis about 500metres away – GO!”

It’s amazing how far we’ve come in just 10 years ago, which if you were one of the first pioneers, you were probably flying one of these primitive machines weighing 1.2KG, which were released in 2013.

Sticking to the theme of drones, I’ll now introduce you to Hugo from the Netherlands. I sometimes tend to look at my own very mediocre results in a bubble. As you know from my earnings reports I’m stuck on an eternal treadmill barely reaching above $1k/month on most months, so it’s great to obtain some perspective from others’ results.

Meet Hugo from the Microstock Drone Channel

I love reading/watching other contributors discuss their monthly earnings. Takes courage to do so and I have to admit that I was super reluctant at first but now super happy that I did, although I respect those that wish to remain private.

Anyway, browsing YouTube as came across Hugo’s quite recent Microstock Earnings Channel, obviously focused on drone stock footage in the Netherlands, Germany and more recently, Thailand. We have a lot in common as I also lived in the Netherlands and love drones and trying to earn a “passive income” during these challenging times.

In his channel, Hugo positively discusses his strategies, technical info on drones and of course a detailed breakdown on his earning which are on the up and up, which is encouraging.

Here’s a link to his Shutterstock account if you want to see his impressive work consisting of 8,756 clips.

Get in touch, Hugo!

I’ve sent Hugo over a message to be interviewed here on the blog as we have a lot in common. I have many questions to ask him, including some relating to some of his more “risky” shots – not trolling, am actually curious. On the theme of AI, I also want to ask his opinion on his workflow and his thoughts on the future of drone technology and regulations.

That’s it for this blog post, hope you’re enjoying the summer and until next time!

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About Alex

I’m an eccentric guy, currently based in Lisbon, Portugal on a quest to visit all corners of the world and capture stock images & footage. I’ve devoted ten years to making it as a travel photographer / videographer and freelance writer. I hope to inspire others by showing an unique insight into a fascinating business model while shaming scammers.

I’ve gone all in on submitting book cover images to Arcangel Images. Oh and was also flying a DJI Mavic 2s drone regularly (although it crashed into Botafogo Bay on NYE – here is the story), which I’ve upgraded to a Mini 3 Pro and the Air3.

I’m proud to have written a book about my adventures which includes tips on making it as a stock travel photographer – Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock Photography