VSCO has released a new report that explores how photographers are using AI, based on responses from both professionals and amateurs. This is what the report shows.
Photographers seem cautiously optimistic, despite concerns about ethics and the loss of creative control
Over the past few months, VSCO has been adding Many tools to the AI Lab platformincluding upscaling, dehazing and recovery.
While these tools are aimed at photographers looking to streamline their editing and post-production workflows, such efforts also tend to push back from the “nobody wants more AI” crowd, especially online.
So VSCO set out to explore how actual photographers are embracing, adopting and applying AI to their work.
The company consulted 401 professional photographers and photography enthusiasts specializing in a variety of genres, including portraiture, fashion, real estate, travel and lifestyle, and commercial photography, and published the results in a report titled “.Photographers + AI: Industry Report.“
According to VSCO, 68% of working photographers use AI weekly or daily, compared to 34% of amateurs. However, overall adoption is higher, reaching 83% among all photographers, including 76% of hobbyists.
Interestingly, less than half of respondents felt excited, hopeful or inspired by artificial intelligence, 5% felt threatened, and 17% described themselves as skeptical. The largest single group, 32%, said they felt curious.
Concerns have not gone away. Loss of creative control (42%), ethics (39%) and fear of appearing unprofessional (34%) are real. Professional photographers are more concerned about this than amateurs.
When you arrive where they want AI help, professional photographers and amateurs alike prefer post-production first, interest moves to creative partnerships like shoot planning, then business management like email and scheduling, and finally coaching and mentoring.
Finally, the report found that there is still plenty of opportunity for photography-specific AI tools, as less than 20% of respondents use “AI tools designed for photographers.” 63% reported using platforms such as ChatGPT and Claude, while up to 39% reported using design-centric tools such as Canva or Adobe products.
In summary, VSCO concluded that:
Photographers do not resist Al. They take it with intent, apply it where it matters, and take the line where human judgment is paramount. The fear story fades away, replaced by a more grounded reality: thoughtful, pragmatic adoption of tools that improve the way photographers work and live.
To check out the full report, which includes information on where photographers are reinvesting the time they save with AI tools and their AI wishlists, follow this link.
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