A Very, Merry AI Halloween!
Celebrating Spirit Week with The AI Camera Club
I woke up this morning thinking tomorrow was Halloween. When I came downstairs and looked at my phone, I realized today was October 31. Oops!
Halloween was always one of my favorite holidays as a kid. I’ve lost some of that joy around Halloween over the years, and I’m not entirely sure why. Our friends Andrew and Megan throw an annual costume party to celebrate, and I always get a charge out of the inventive creativity this holiday inspires in people.
In that spirit, I asked photographer Timothy Archibald if we could show some of his images here today. Tim and I met years ago when I wrote the original FlakPhoto blog, and we’ve stayed in touch. Lately, he has been experimenting with AI imagemaking, which I find fascinating. I know that AI is a hot-button topic in the photography community. I’ve previously written about AI imagery (it’s not photography) and frequently go down the AI rabbit hole. What I like most about Tim’s AI work is how purely creative it is. Tim’s images might look like photography — I mean, kind of — but they’re not trying to fool you into thinking they are photography. These pictures are something else entirely, and that’s part of the fun.
Earlier this year, I showed one of Tim’s images on Instagram. Not surprisingly, it turned a lot of people off. When pictures provoke discussion, I get excited. So, I asked Tim to tell me more about his AI project and if we could show something in the newsletter. I knew there was more than meets the eye. I’m glad he agreed, and I think these Halloween pictures are incredibly entertaining. He writes:
The AI Camera Club is a fictional narrative I created using words and AI images. I liked the idea of using AI images to illustrate my little story, if I can call it that, and I try to create a little fictional world where one story leads to another.
Because photographers seemed to fear AI more than anyone, I thought anchoring my story around a fictional camera club operating in the U.S. from 1941-1949 would be interesting. I felt the structure of a camera club would give me a lot of options to explore: the history of the club, the members, the workshops they are holding, the students, the rituals, as well as their attempt to dabble in technology, as well as creating a fictional aspect that hinted at the members attempts to begin using Artificial Intelligence in their images even if it was simply something to dream about.
On the IG account I created, I have a little manifesto that addresses the experience of fearing AI and openly embracing it as a new tool. Honestly, I enjoy making the images and writing the little stories. Still, it doesn't feel like photography as much as another creative exercise, like writing a short story or curating a show.
Some of the writing is based on characters in the history of photography, so I get to have fun with that. Here is a biography of fictional photographer Viviane Atkins:
"The most talented and true badass of the club, without question, was photographer Viviane Atkins. As is typical of camera clubs, while the men were preoccupied with the gear and the early pursuit of AI photographic technology, Viviane had no time for the mundane details. Her photographs were raw, honest, and startlingly frank. Portraits of runaway children, feral animals, and bleak street scenes, her images were a clear roadmap for her friend sociologist/photographer Lewis Hine. After Hine died in 1940, Viviane continued her work with passion and dedication. Always on brand, here she is posing for her own camera in 1942."
Also, fictional photographer Meryl Smithson:
Meryl Smithson’s Best In Show photogram titled “ My Glass Heart, 1941 .“ The image was made by holding broken glass shards above the photographic paper and exposing it to light. This selection was wildly controversial, leading to resignations from the board, boycotts of the club, and loss of sponsorship from Zeiss Lens, as the final image was made without a camera. “This is not real photography” is the most repeated line used by the critics. Keen observers of the history of photography will find this anecdote both familiar and historically relevant."
AI poses real threats to society and the photography business, but I have always maintained that artists should pursue it as a vehicle for creativity. Like Phil Toledano, who has also dived deep into AI waters to create a fictional world, Tim’s AI Camera Club is a fantastic vehicle for exploring visual ideas. I love this project and think that AI explorations like his are terrific. If you like what you see here, follow The AI Camera Club on Instagram to see more of Tim’s images. And if you don’t, tell me why.
Thanks again for sharing with us today, Tim. Happy Halloween!
About the artist
Timothy Archibald is an American photographer known for capturing human quirks and connections. His acclaimed series Echolilia documents his relationship with his autistic son, revealing intimate, unscripted moments. Archibald’s work is celebrated for its vulnerability and authenticity. His current project is a work of narrative fiction titled The AI Camera Club Archive, 1941-1949. He is the on-site director of The Academy of Art University School of Photography.
I believe in artists exploring and playing however they see fit and I respect a bunch of artists that use generative tools as part of their practice. In this case, it seems like Tim is having fun and that this isn’t meant to supplant his traditional photo work but I would still rather see his actual photos than gimmicky stuff like this.
As far as “fear” of AI goes… I think that’s not really a fair description of the many legitimate moral, environmental, cultural, and even philosophical critiques involved. I think fear is the kind of throwaway label slapped on certain kinds of critical examination to make it seem trivial. Like when people who are critical of technology are labelled “Luddites”.
I do think there are more issues with generative AI than there are legitimate benefits. It’s not going away certainly but it deserves heavy scrutiny. I also think the most visual work made with generative AI is pretty boring. It takes an artist being very intentional with its use and usually creating their own models and systems for anything with a real spark to come out the other end.
I come from Estonia where Halloween is not celebrated. At the same time we have two similar traditions in November - the eve of 10th and 25th when there are children going from door to door. They wear certain clothes not so much costumes. And they must sing or dance or do something to get treats. And we light a candle on the November 2nd so that our ancestors or closest ones we've lost can find a way to us, so that we can "sit down with them". Nothing scary here.
After 30 years of Halloween in Canada I've come to appreciate this tradition here. First seeing how my kids loved it, and now with my grown up daughters taking time to create their own costumes and makeup. My oldest says it's like a hobby for her to find solutions to something she wants to create. She wrote about her latest costume here
https://maribery.blogspot.com/2024/10/building-my-content-warning-cosplay.html