Sky replacement is one of the biggest trends in photography right now, with major editing applications offering automatic or semi-automatic sky replacement capabilities, making it easier than ever to completely change an image. Is it photography, though? Or have we moved into something else entirely? This thoughtful video essay discusses the topic and where photography is headed.
Coming to you from Mike Smith, this thought-provoking video discusses the topic of sky replacement and where it fits in photography. Sky replacement is nothing new, but the reason the topic has become so debated recently is the increasing prevalence of automated tools that make it very quick and straightforward to swap out a sky in any photo, a task that used to be tedious enough to keep its overall usage down a bit. Personally, I see a lot of potential in these automated tools, particularly for photographers for whom second chances are nonexistent or impractical. For example, a wedding photographer could improve a couple’s portraits if they are unlucky and have a gray wedding day, and I’m sure many couples would be thankful to have something a bit more representative of what they dreamed their wedding day would be. Check out the video above for Smith’s full thoughts.