Photography in the Age of Synthetic Imaging, with Fred Ritchin

08/01/24 • 82 min

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Where does the medium of photography stand in an era where the latest mantra encourages people to “Skip the Photo Shoot?”

How can a viewer continue to trust photographs as evidence in a marketplace where AI is touted as a “revolution,” and “the new digital camera” that we need to embrace?

And what methods can a photographer use today to be considered a credible witness with a transparent code of ethics?

These are just a few of the points raised in our discussion with renowned writer, photo editor, and educator Fred Ritchin. For more than forty years, Ritchin has kept tabs on the progressive shift from using a camera to record the visible as truth to getting the world to look the way we want it to look.

Join us, as we wade through the swampy terrain separating photographic fact from synthetic creation, as part of a wider series tracing the effects of AI on today’s creative community.

Bonus invite: In preparation for an upcoming discussion between visual artists and AI instigators Boris Eldagsen and Miles Astray, we’re soliciting listener questions. To get your chance for an on-air shout out, please post a question for our guests to the comments section below or email it to: [email protected].

Guest: Fred Ritchin

Top shot: Synthetic image, not a photograph, generated by the artificial intelligence system DALL-E, in response to the text prompt by Fred Ritchin, “An iconic photograph from the year 1945,” 2023.

For more information on our guest and the gear he uses, see: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/photography-in-the-age-of-synthetic-imaging-with-fred-ritchin

Stay Connected:

Fred Ritchin Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Ritchin

Fred Ritchin bio from ICP: https://www.icp.org/users/fredritchin

Four Corners Project: https://fourcornersproject.org/

The Fifth Corner https://thefifthcorner.org/

Writing with Light Campaign: https://wwlight.org/

The Synthetic Eye book: https://wwnorton.com/books/9780500297391

Where does the medium of photography stand in an era where the latest mantra encourages people to “Skip the Photo Shoot?”

How can a viewer continue to trust photographs as evidence in a marketplace where AI is touted as a “revolution,” and “the new digital camera” that we need to embrace?

And what methods can a photographer use today to be considered a credible witness with a transparent code of ethics?

Join us, as we wade through the swampy terrain separating photographic fact from synthetic creation, as part of a wider series tracing the effects of AI on today’s creative community.

Guest: Fred Ritchin

For more information on our guest and the gear he uses, see: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/photography-in-the-age-of-synthetic-imaging-with-fred-ritchin

Stay Connected:

Fred Ritchin Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Ritchin

Fred Ritchin bio from ICP: https://www.icp.org/users/fredritchin

Four Corners Project: https://fourcornersproject.org/

The Fifth Corner https://thefifthcorner.org/

Writing with Light Campaign: https://wwlight.org/

The Synthetic Eye book: https://wwnorton.com/books/9780500297391

Previous Episode

Sports Action & Image Workflow for the Paris Games, with Maddie Meyer & James Chance

Sports enthusiasts from around the world will soon be glued to their nearest viewing screen, watching the action unfold during the international Summer Games in Paris.

But how much do you know about the finer points of photographing elite level competition, or about the lightning-fast, high-tech journey these images make from inside a camera to a remote editing workflow, and then onward to be enjoyed by you, the viewer?

In today’s podcast we’ve got the inside track on how these visual delicacies are brought to life and served up to global audiences. Our guests are Getty Images Chief Photographer Maddie Meyer and Managing Editor James Chance, who runs Getty Images’ editing operations in Europe.

We start with Maddie, who details the advance preparations and complex logistics required to ensure the success of 60 Getty Images photographers on the ground in Paris, alongside a sizable amount of remote and robotic gear. In the show’s second half, James describes the impressive synergy between the photographers on site and the massive team of photo editors he’s assembled to work remotely from London and in other locations around the world—a complex infrastructure that’s a first for the agency.

Immerse yourself in the passion for sports and learn what it takes to capture images that set you apart from the pack.

As Maddie Meyer sums up, “That's where the real challenge comes in. And that's where I would say it's really difficult. But that's where knowing the athletes comes in, knowing the way they move, knowing their rituals before they get in the pool, knowing some of the dynamics between the athletes, where you can really kind of pick up on the minutia to try and make something special.”

Guests: Maddie Meyer & James Chance

Episode Timeline:

3:37: Maddie’s college internship at Getty Images, and her experiences as a woman shooting sports.

8:30: Plans for covering the Paris Games, and details about the Getty Images team.

11:56: Maddie’s aquatics specialty and details about photographer assignments.

16:23: A question of shooting strategy: going for maximum volume vs anticipating more and shooting less.

22:37: Dedicated cameras vs remotes and robotic equipment, plus Maddie’s go-to gear: A Canon R3 mirrorless and 28-70 mm f/2 lens.

28:23: Episode Break

29:35: The synergy and trust between photography and photo editing teams.

33:28: Logistics of staff photographers, remotes, and robotic cameras on the ground to capture the Paris Games

38:28: Details about Getty Images remote photo editing staff in the UK during the Paris games, and their three-stage editing process.

43:33: The technical tools—hardware and software—powering the Getty Images workflow and file management process.

1:00:58: The most important qualities in a Getty Images photo editor.

Guest Bios:

Maddie Meyer is a chief photographer for Getty Images based in—but not geographically limited to—Boston, Massachusetts. She joined the Getty Images team in January 2015, after earning a Bachelor of Science degree in photojournalism from Ohio University. Maddie’s assignments range from covering New England’s professional sports teams to international travel covering events such as the Men’s and Women’s World Cup, the FINA World Swimming championships and the Olympic Games in Rio and Pyeongchang. Her pictures are continually published in major metropolitan newspapers, magazines, and websites worldwide, including ESPN, the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, the Washington Post, among many other media outlets.

Equally skilled as a photographer, James Chance began his editing career as a freelancer in London. He currently serves as the managing editor for Getty Images Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He works to train and schedule the editing team, as well as plan editing for major events such as the Women's World Cup in Australia, and the Paris Olympic Games. James helped to create the vision for Getty Images remote editing plan, where photo editors will be working out of the company’s London office, while the photographers will be in Paris.

Stay Connected:

Maddie Meyer Website: https://www.maddiemeyerphoto.com/

Maddie Meyer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maddiemeyer2/

James Chance Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jameschance_5

Getty Images Website: https://www.gettyimages.com/

Samsung T7 Shield Portable SSD: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1742972-REG/samsung_mu_pe4t0s_am_4tb_t7_shield_portable.html

Next Episode

Picturing World Cultures: Tailyr Irvine - Native America

1 Recommendations

How would you feel if all the coverage you saw about your culture was a superficial view from the outside, rather than a narrative steeped in details of lived experience?

Above photograph © Tailyr Irvine

This is the motivating force that led today’s guest to pick up a camera, enter the newsroom, and cultivate an insider’s perspective on contemporary Native American life, to expand the scope and enhance the accuracy of stories being told.

From exploring quiet moments at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests to a revealing photo project on Blood Quantum, you’ll gain fresh insight into the traumatic history and complex issues affecting Native American people today.

Make sure and stay to the end for details about valuable resources like the Indigenous Photograph database and Illuminative’s Guide to Native Representation, as well as to learn about Tailyr’s ongoing work with businesses and organizations, to foster native representation in their projects.

All told, you’ll walk away with a new appreciation for the idea that “Learning your culture is a privilege, and it's not a privilege that everyone gets.”

For more information on our guest and the gear she uses, click here.

If you haven’t already listened, check out all the episodes of our Picturing World Cultures podcast series here.

Episode Timeline:

2:04: Tailyr’s early documentation at Standing Rock, and the value of her insider perspective as a Native journalist.

8:19: Distinctions between stereotypical views and a more authentic and diverse representation of Native culture.

12:42: Tailyr’s Reservation Mathematics project and the controversial issue of blood quantum.

21:05: The role of reservations as a center for Native culture and history, and the recent push to revitalize Native traditions.

24:11: The dark history of Native boarding schools and Tailyr’s work in telling stories about past abuses.

29:25: The public response to Tailyr’s Reservation Mathematics story and the challenges to changing this system.

32:30: Episode Break

34:25: Tailyr Irvine’s go-to gear and photojournalistic techniques.

38:21: Documenting tribal powwows to feature individual style rather than reinforce Native stereotypes.

42:56: Rules of etiquette at a powwow, the importance of consent, and questions of picture use.

47:17: Tailyr’s first assignment on the Blackfeet Boxing Club and an ESPN editor’s help to overcome economic barriers to entry.

54:28: Tailyr’s consulting work and building partnerships with businesses and organizations to foster native representation in projects.

1:04:06: Tailyr Irvine answers our PWC Visual Questionnaire.

Guest Bio: Tailyr Irvine is a Salish and Kootenai photographer and journalist born and raised on the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana. Her work focuses on providing in-depth representations of the lives and complex issues within the diverse communities that make up Native America. Tailyr is also a co-founder of Indigenous Photograph, a global database dedicated to support the media industry in hiring more Indigenous photographers to tell the stories of their communities and to reflect on how we tell these stories. She is a National Geographic Explorer and frequently contributes to the New York Times and other national outlets.

Stay Connected:

Tailyr Irvine Website: https://www.tailyrirvine.com/

Tailyr Irvine Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TailyrIrvine/

Tailyr Irvine Twitter: https://x.com/tailyrirvine

Tailyr Irvine Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TailyrIrvine/

Tailyr Irvine on National Geographic: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/storytelling-through-photography-tailyr-irvine/

Tailyr Irvine’s Blackfeet Boxing Story: https://indigenousfutures.illuminatives.org/ending-violence/tailyr-irvine

Illuminative’s Guide to Native Representation for Entertainment Industry Professionals: https://illuminative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/IllumiNative_industry-guide_June-2022.pdf

Native American Journalists Association Website: https://najanewsroom.com/

Tailyr Irvine’s Vital Impacts Grant: https://vitalimpacts.org/pages/grant-winner-2023-tailyr-irvine

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