AI and Photography: Gianluca Ricoveri on Truth, Memory and Presence
Introduction In this latest conversation for my ongoing AI and Photography interview series, I speak with Italian photographer and artist Gianluca Ricoveri, whose work many readers will already know through TheAppWhisperer and our print store, where I have the privilege of representing his collection. Gianluca’s photographs – from his contemplative Tuscan landscapes to his richly observed botanical studies – have long carried a profound sense of stillness, intimacy and emotional attention. That quality feels especially relevant within this discussion on artificial intelligence. Gianluca’s images are rooted in observation, patience and lived experience – qualities that increasingly feel at odds with the speed and synthetic fluency of AI-generated imagery. His work…
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How to Edit a Photography Portfolio (2026)
How to Edit a Photography Portfolio (2026) Editing a photography portfolio is one of the most difficult parts of photographic practice. Making the work is one thing; deciding what stays, what goes, and what ultimately speaks for you is something else entirely. Over the years, whether preparing work for exhibitions, competitions, funding applications or postgraduate study, I’ve found that editing is often where the real shape of a project begins to emerge. A strong portfolio is rarely about showing everything. It’s about showing enough. One of the most common mistakes photographers make is overloading a portfolio with too many images. The instinct is understandable. We become attached to…
How to Write an Artist Statement for Photography Applications (A Practical Guide for 2026)
I have never met many photographers who enjoy writing artist statements. Most of us would rather make the work, edit the work, print the work, sequence the work – almost anything other than sit down and explain it. There is something quite uncomfortable about trying to put visual thinking into words, especially when the work may have begun from instinct, memory, frustration, curiosity or something much harder to name. But artist statements do matter, particularly if you are applying for an MA, a grant, a residency, an exhibition or any opportunity where someone is meeting the work without you standing beside it. The statement helps the reader understand what they…
“The Imperfect Human Hand May Become the Most Radical Artistic Gesture of All” — Jane Schultz on AI and Photography
Over the years, through TheAppWhisperer, I have had the privilege of not only publishing the work of some of the world’s most influential mobile artists but also forming genuine friendships with many of them. Jane Schultz is one of those artists. I first met Jane and her husband, Dave, in London some years ago, and what struck me immediately was her depth of thought, her warmth, and her unwavering commitment to authentic creative practice. Jane has long been one of the most respected voices within the mobile art community, creating work that is emotionally rich, layered and deeply personal. Jane is also one of the artists I represent through TheAppWhisperer…
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From My Bookshelves: 10 Photography Books That Continue to Influence My Practice
Looking back through almost two decades of writing for TheAppWhisperer, reviewing photobooks, interviewing photographers and studying photography myself, I recently realised I had reached a rather practical problem: I had run out of room for my photobook collection. The solution was the installation of yet another set of bookcases, a reminder not only of how many photography books I have accumulated over the years, but also of how frequently I return to them. As I was unpacking and reorganising the shelves, I found myself revisiting old favourites and rediscovering books that had influenced my thinking at different stages of my photographic journey. The titles included here represent only a small…
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Michelle Sank on AI, Photography, Truth and Authenticity
Michelle Sank on AI, Photography and the Future of Seeing Michelle Sank was one of the first photographers I thought of when I started putting this series together. Born in South Africa and later settling in Britain, her work has often explored questions of identity, belonging and displacement, examining how people navigate social, cultural and personal change. Over the years, Sank has photographed communities, families and individuals with a quiet sensitivity that allows stories to emerge rather than be imposed upon the viewer. Her projects have taken her from South Africa to the UK and beyond, often focusing on those whose lives lie at the edges of broader political and…
Best Photography Grants, Scholarships and Funding Opportunities in the USA (2026)
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How Professional Photographers Build Online Portfolios in 2026
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Between Photography and AI: A Conversation with Dan Marcolina
Dan Marcolina is a photographer, designer, author and visual storyteller whose work spans more than four decades of technological change in image-making. Beginning with traditional lens-based photography, his creative journey has evolved through digital imaging, Photoshop, mobile photography, augmented reality and, more recently, generative AI. An early advocate of digital creativity, Marcolina co-founded with his wife Denise, one of Philadelphia’s first all-digital design studios and has spent much of his career exploring how emerging technologies can expand visual expression while remaining grounded in photographic observation. He is the author of several books on mobile photography, including iPhone Obsessed, one of the first iPhoneography books published, and has lectured internationally on…
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