Renowned commercial photographer Ketaki Nikam, founder of Piccturemint, has highlighted the enduring importance of human emotion and personal touch in photography, even as artificial intelligence continues to reshape the industry. With 15 years of experience witnessing the evolution from film to digital and now to AI-driven tools, Ketaki asserts that while technology transforms workflows, it cannot replicate the emotional depth and intuitive understanding that only a human photographer can bring to an image.

“Being in photography for the last 15 years, I have seen the transition from film cameras to digital, then to people setting up their own lights and studios. Now AI has arrived, and with every technological shift, we must adapt-that is a fact,” says Ketaki Nikam. “But through all these changes, one thing remains constant: emotion. AI doesn’t give you the feel and emotions of a human. There is no human touch. You can command AI, and it will follow your orders, but AI cannot give you the emotions, that emotional touch, that emotional angle. What a photographer can understand, what a human being can understand and reflect in your images-that is something only a living, feeling person can deliver.”