Still Human: The Quiet Survival of Documentary Photography in the Age of AI

Roy, a man in love with wood and classic boats works on the boom of Olin Stephens SONNY, on the first round of her restoration.

Every day, more AI-generated images flood our feeds. The progress is dizzying, and the images range from perfect scenes and polished aesthetics to surreal compositions—dreamlike worlds summoned in seconds.

And yet, I keep showing up with my camera. Waiting. Observing. Trusting that real life—raw and unscripted—still has something to say.

Because documentary photography isn’t about perfection. It never was.

At its core, it is about bearing witness.
It is about showing up.
It’s about presence—not just of the photographer, but of the subject, the context, the moment.
And those things—real time, real place, real connection—can’t be generated. They must be lived.

In a world where almost anything can be simulated, the real becomes more valuable. More urgent. More grounding.

Documentary photography becomes a quiet form of resistance.
It says: This happened. Someone lived this. I was there.

That’s why I keep doing this.
And why I believe that the right client will care.