The Cylons have arrived
In the early ‘00s, back before kids and YouTube, my husband and I really got into this sci-fi show called Battlestar Galactica. (Elder Millennials; If you're picturing us like the parody from Portlandia, yes.) For those who aren’t quite as gloriously nerdy, Battlestar Galactica was a post-apocalyptic space drama about the last surviving humans fleeing their destroyed planet, searching for a new home, while being relentlessly hunted by Cylons, highly advanced AI robots that had turned against their creators.
It was super uplifting.
Back then, the idea of AI rising against humanity was no more than a fun little thought experiment. Fast forward to 2025, and the possibility doesn’t seem too far-fetched. AI is woven into our daily life. It’s telling us what we need to care about on social media. It’s half-answering our customer service questions. It’s even giving us the best routes to drive home during rush minute. And, in my daily life as a photographer, it’s been helping me streamline my workflow.
AI has made my job so much faster, easier, and more efficient, which means I can spend more time shooting and less time editing. Photo by Studio Freshly/Abby Anderson.
Now, am I scared AI will take over my job? Yes, yes I am. However, I can't ignore how much it has transformed my ability to serve my clients more effectively, quickly, and efficiently. I believe in being open and transparent with my clients and my peers, so I think it’s important to share the tools I use and how they fit into my process. So, here’s a peek at the AI tools that have been helping me give my clients a better experience.
Imagen
Imagen is a color correction tool that has completely changed my editing workflow. It has saved me SOOOO much time as a process that would take 2+ hours per project is now completed in five minutes or less.
How It Works: Imagen studies my past Lightroom edits and builds a system that mimics my style. At first, it wasn’t perfect (because, you know, robots), but as I fine-tuned its edits and sent corrections back, it got eerily close. Now that I’ve been using it for a while and I’ve continued to submit my edits to keep the system learning, I’m mostly just making tiny tweaks to get everything just right. The best part? It’s super fast.
It’s not perfect: A couple of features weren’t for me. Imagen offers culling, but I like having full control over which shots make the cut and I found that the culling feature can read my brain thoughts (yet). It also automatically crops images, but since I tend to compose right to the edges, its choices didn’t always make sense for my work.
Price: Imagen charges per image, which can be cost-effective if you edit in bulk. If you’re processing a high volume of photos, it can definitely be worth it.
Here’s a quick selfie of me before (left) and after using Evoto. I made a few minor tweaks like skin touchups, applied an AI color filter, and swapped out the background. The difference is subtle, but it definitely polishes up the image.
Evoto
Evoto is a handy retouching tool that my pal Abby introduced me to a couple of years ago. It took me a little while to admit that an AI tool like this could be useful since I had my own ways of doing things in Photoshop, but it has been nothing short of magical in terms of its abilities and the time it saves me.
How It Works: Evoto automates retouching, making tasks like skin smoothing, blemish removal, and brightening faces quick and easy. I use it instead of Photoshop for most of my touch-ups, and I’ve set up presets to keep things looking natural. It also has some impressive tools, like glasses glare removal, stray hair touch-ups, and background removal, which have been a total game-changer for me.
Wonderful, but beware: It’s easy to go too far with retouching, so I always double-check that edits match reality. A funny (but slightly horrifying) moment: I once accidentally removed someone’s tattoos during a routine headshot edit. That was a wake-up call that AI is powerful, but I still need to keep an eye on it.
How Much It Costs: Evoto uses a credit system, so you only pay for what you edit. If you’re working with a lot of images, it can be a cost-effective option. Click the referral button below and use the following code to get a special rate: VEL8GRX271
Topaz Labs
Topaz Labs offers several AI-powered tools, but the ones I use most are Sharpen AI and Denoise AI. Sharpen AI helps salvage slightly soft images, and Denoise AI reduces grain in low-light shots. I don’t use these as much these days, thanks to the quality/reliability of my Sony camera, but they’re still great for those almost-perfect shots that need a little extra help.
Photoshop Generative AI
This was an AI oopsie in Photoshop when I tried to remove a person on the far left using the generative fill tool. Instead of just erasing them, it ended up adding a strange, more creepy, human-like object in their place. Definitely not what I intended, but hilarious nonetheless.
I’m a long-time user of Adobe Photoshop, first using the app WAY BACK in the 90s when I was a wee middle schooler. It’s come a long way since then, and these days I find Photoshop better than ever (despite feeling a little bitter due to the subscription requirement).
In 2023, Adobe introduced Generative AI to Photoshop, but it took me a hot minute to even know it was there. It’s been a little over a year since I’ve been using it regularly, and now I’m not sure what I would do without it. It helps me clean up images, like removing outlets and exit signs. It’s great for minor headshot fixes like stray hairs, lint, and small distractions. And, because I often don’t shoot as wide as I should, it sometimes helps me create more images along the edges to get my framing perfect.
It’s come a long way since I first started using it, but it still makes the occasional mistake. I even have a folder of AI fails. Some of them are pretty hilarious.
ChatGPT
I don’t use ChatGPT for photography, but I do use it to help with brainstorming, drafting emails, and proofreading content. Even for this blog post, I had it help organize my thoughts. Do I worry a little bit that it doesn’t help me think critically? Sometimes. But the time it saves is amazing, and like with the other AI tools, it’s how I’m refining it and making sure my voice is in there that counts. (Now, if I could get ChatGPT to stop putting em dashes in everything I have it proofread, my life and relationship with it would be a lot better.)
That said, I’ve learned that if I rely on it too much, it can start to dilute my voice. I still want my writing to sound like me with my thoughts and my voice, so I use it more as a rough draft generator than a final editor.
While AI isn't (yet) trying to wipe us out, it’s undeniably changing how we work, create, and interact with the world, sometimes in ways that feel as mind-blowing as a sci-fi show. I do worry about the environmental implications of AI and how it can make us more complacent. But, it’s a fact of the world, and learning how to use AI will be our future (whether we like it or not).
The key is using AI responsibly, as an assistant, not a replacement for creativity or craftsmanship. No matter how advanced AI gets, it will never be human. It cannot feel. It has no intuition. It’s a robot full of algorithms, and that can only go so far. People can tell when an image is fake, when it doesn’t feel real. That’s why, even as I integrate AI into my workflow, my job as a photographer will always be about capturing something genuine. And that, my friends, that can’t be automated.
Smarch
Oh, Smarch. That mysterious month between the dead of winter and the start of the spring. Sweatshirt or parka? Snow boots or flip flops? One can never quite prepare for what the afternoon will bring.
While I’m itching for Mother Nature to settle on a quasi-consistent temperature, I’ve been using this bipolar month as an excuse to get things ready for the year, both at home and at work.
At home, that means starting my plant babies for my veggie and herb garden. My grow operation has expanded this year, and after three years of starting seeds early with grow lights in my basement, I feel like I’m finally getting the hang of it. I can’t wait to bring my little tomatoes to the studio so they can soak up the gorgeous light before I plant them in my garden.
At work, I’ve also been planting seeds, metaphorically. I’ve been working hard on marketing Studio Borealis and have made a few big changes regarding rentals. This work included revamping the Studio Borealis website and updating the brand color palette to something fresher to match the space. And, yes, it's very similar to my new brand for BTP. I guess I’m in a fresh mood in 2025.
Stuff I can’t Stop Thinking About
12 Vultures
During a recent trip to Minneapolis, my friend brought me to this delightfully weird and wondrous shop called 12 Vultures. Part curiosity shop, part natural history museum, it’s dark, macabre, clever, and quirky. Maybe not the best place for someone who’s scared of taxidermy and dead things, but for this closet goth, it was absolutely delightful.
The Marías
One of the things my daughter and I like to do on road trips is listen to Spotify’s Top 50 Songs playlist. We’re both in our own music bubbles, so it’s a fun way to branch out and hear what the rest of the world is into. During a recent trip, a couple of songs by The Marías came up, and I was surprised to find them on a mainstream chart. Their music feels like floating on a cloud: ethereal, soothing, and completely unexpected. I’m obsessed.
Hügelkultur
I’ve been itching to get out in my garden, and I recently bought a few new galvanized steel garden boxes to replace our old cedar ones. Since the new boxes are deeper, I started researching ways to save on soil and came across a method called Hügelkultur. It’s a super old technique that involves layering logs, branches, and organic matter at the bottom of a raised bed before adding soil on top. The wood breaks down over time, creating rich, moisture-retaining soil. I’m excited to try it with my new boxes. You really do learn something new every day, and that simply delights me.
Plant of the Month: Carol
Carol is once again the March Plant of the Month, having also held the title in 2024. And it’s no wonder why. Every spring, this beauty queen flaunts her vibrant yellow blooms, effortlessly stealing the spotlight. Though she’s usually unassuming, she has a few surprises in store, and when she chooses to shine, she does it in style.
Ten Snaps from March
1: UnStuffy Headshot for Amber. 2: Updated content for The Pilates House. 3. Headshots + quickie group images for Level Up Counseling. 4. Photo of The Armory Annex (for Interoffice). 5. SNAP! Headshot for Mark. 6. Simple Studio Headshot for Dena. 7: Company Headshots for Taylor for Redeeming Counseling. 8: Alicia Hauff’s Latest Work. 9: SNAP! Heashot for Heather. 10: YWCA Women Of the Year Nominees.
