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Open Letter to Adobe from ASMP "Skip the Photoshoot"

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wordplanet:
I wanted to share this open letter from ASMP (American Society of Media Professionals) to Adobe responding to their latest advertising:

An Open Letter to Adobe

Adobe, you might imagine that asking your users to “skip the photoshoot” as you did in a recent set of ads would be a clever way to promote your new tools in Photoshop, but instead, this campaign indicated a shocking dismissal of photography and the photographers who have dedicated their lives to creating it.
As one of the largest professional associations representing photographers and all visual creators, and as our 6,500 members well know, creating a career in photography is harder than ever, with the average photographer having to navigate stolen images, copyright infringement, broken business promises, and now, the specter of wholesale replacement of their art and craft by AI platforms.

But while fighting these battles on these multiple fronts, photographers would not have expected to have to defend themselves from attack by the company whose products are inseparable from the current and past toolbox of the professional photographer. Put simply, why, Adobe, would you dismiss and discount all that your most fervent and loyal customers aspire to?
And this was an attack; an attack on the creativity of the photographer, on the skill and nuance they bring to the photoshoot, and the countless hours they spend preparing for, and working after the photoshoot you are so cavalier to simply throw away.

Great photography is born in the vision of the photographer first, and then brought to life by the artisans who have focused their creative energy for years and decades to make the final image. It is not mechanical; it is not replaceable by a button or an algorithm. Despite your intimation, great photography is more than pixels – it is passion.

While you may change your campaign, soften your language, or otherwise blunt this anger you find currently pointed in your direction, we hope that this is not a stopgap measure. Adobe should take a hard look at how it describes photography and photographers and determine if you support this industry or wish to aid in its destruction.

For the legions of photographers who have used your products, both ASMP Members and non-members alike, we ask you to do better. To stand with us to strengthen all that photography is and can be. To engage in good faith to find technological solutions that professionals can be proud to use.

Do better Adobe.

Gabriella Marks
Chair, American Society of Media Photographers

Jo Ann Snover:
Some press on this topic:

https://www.fastcompany.com/91125044/technology-that-saves-animals

"If that sounds like an extreme response to what arguably amounts to sloppy word choice, consider the context: Creatives of all stripes have been feeling threats that AI may pose to their livelihood—and have noticed that tech giants and startups alike seem all too eager to prioritize their own business motives. "

Adobe's stock is down today, in spite of their recent announcements about Adobe Express for Enterprise, probably because of Canva's announcement about enterprise offerings:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/canva-goes-adobe-users-tools-163000328.html

Of course reddit has comments all over the map

https://www.reddit.com/r/photography/comments/1cy0xpj/asmp_calls_out_adobe_for_its_shocking_dismissal/

f8:
Adobe is a corporation. Never forget this, ever. Adobe has never had your best interests in mind. To think otherwise is foolish. Adobe has their eyes locked on to the future and sadly photographers are not really part of the plan, or designers for that matter. I see more and more imagery that is AI in both advertising and editorial. Photography as a career is at the Check Mate stage of the industry. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but it is the truth. If you want to make money in photography, sell you equipment and put the money into Adobe stock. Maybe if you ask nice enough they will give you a share for $5.

zeljkok:
AI imagery is just a subset of general direction human race is taking in 21st century.   It is completely wrong in my opinion;  environment on which very existence depends on is crumbling, but focus is somewhere else,  spearheaded by Tech companies with profit, or rather fear of not getting left behind, as main motivation.   Adobe itself can not be particularly blamed;  they are just riding the wave everyone else does.

Her Ugliness:

--- Quote from: wordplanet on May 24, 2024, 10:45 --- why, Adobe, would you dismiss and discount all that your most fervent and loyal customers aspire to?

--- End quote ---

There is a simple answer to that: Because they aim at replacing us with new customers. The customers who don't need any real skills and talent and just click a few buttons to have Adobe produce some AI "photo" for them.
Everyone can do that, so a much bigger potential customer base to make money from.

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