'My views have changed': Famed photographer Jos Avery reveals he used AI to generate portraits
A photographer who amassed thousands of followers mainly by posting stunning portrait photographs has decided to "come clean" about using artificial intelligence to make his images.
The excitement surrounding Chat GPT has shown us that AI is capable of a lot these days. The technology's capacity to create screenplays, schedule holidays, and carry on conversations serves as evidence that we are, in fact, living in the future. Many Instagram users were unaware that photographer Jos Avery is one of those people who utilize AI to assist them in their daily lives.
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Avery claimed he shot pictures with a Nikon D810
Avery started posting his photographs under the username @averyseasonart in October 2022, and since then, he has gained more than 35,000 followers. His captivating captions share fascinating anecdotes about the subjects' life, such as with "Keen-eyed Nyasha," who discovers an "unusual sort of coin" while strolling through London. His beautiful pictures let viewers see directly into the subjects' eyes.
Avery's posts have received a lot of attention, with one user stating, "Oh, this - the model and your photograph of her - is utterly utterly gorgeous." Although he has been known to claim to admirers that the photographs were shots with a "Nikon D810 with 24-70mm lens," the photographer has previously tried to be evasive about how he created them.
'It seems right to disclose'
Yet as Avery's fan base grew, he started to feel bad about the judgments people were making about his work. He requested an interview with Ars Technica and explained why, "[My Instagram account] has blown up to nearly 12K followers since October, more than I expected." Claiming he'd like to "come clean," Avery said the account is where he posts "AI-generated, human-finished portraits."
"Probably 95 percent [or more] of the followers don't realize," he said. "It seems 'right' to disclose [AI-generated art in] many ways—more honest, perhaps," Avery added. "However, do people who wear makeup in photos disclose that? What about cosmetic surgery? Every commercial fashion photograph has a heavy dose of Photoshopping, including celebrity body replacement on the covers of magazines."
Only two of the pictures on Avery's account are photographs; he didn't say which ones, so you'll have to look hard to find them. Still, he emphasized that a lot of creativity and editing went into making the pictures look photorealistic. He first generates the images with the AI-powered image synthesis program Midjourney, which enables users to generate art using text-based descriptions and then compile and edit the best photos using Photoshop.
Avery referred to himself as "conflicted" when he made the decision to tell his experience. "My original aim was to fool people to showcase AI and then write an article about it," he said. "But now it has become an artistic outlet. My views have changed."