Wandering matters especially in a world of AI
Everything seems to be AI generated now, especially in the visual world we consume every day on social media. And as that becomes more prevalent, I think finding—and creating—something original and authentic matters more than ever.
I know I feel most alive when I’m traveling or simply wandering. Walking city streets, through the woods or along a beach, camera in tow, observing what’s actually in front of me rather than what’s on a screen.
This is one of my favorite images from a trip to London. In a single frame there’s an entire collection of small, human moments. The kissing couple anchors the photograph, but then there’s the group beside them and the two women, each absorbed in their own little piece of the digital ether. For me, it’s a perfect encapsulation of life in the Tube.
It wasn’t planned. It wasn’t generated. It was just a random moment that existed for an instant. I happened to be there, I noticed it, and I clicked the shutter.
And maybe that’s why wandering matters even more in a world of AI.
There is something important about being out in the world with no particular image in mind. Walking. Looking. Paying attention. Waiting for something to reveal itself that you might otherwise have walked right past.
AI can generate the picture.
But you still have to go out into the world to have the experience.
This winter I’m picking up my photo walk series in Fernandina again. A chance for people to come together, wander the downtown streets or stroll along the Atlantic, camera in tow, and simply observe and capture some of the world that so many of us no longer stop long enough to see.
If that sounds like something you’d enjoy, email me and I’ll send you the details.
