Will Advancements in Technology Bring Back the Shoot and Burn?

The "shoot and burn," a photoshoot in which the photographer immediately delivers the images with minimal edits, saw a peak in popularity in the first decade or so of digital, when the novelty and convenience of digital files made the prospect of instant delivery enticing for a lot of customers, especially in genres like family photography. Now, with the rise of AI-powered culling and editing software, there loom some interesting questions: will the shoot and burn see a resurgence, and will it be a good thing for photographers?

Coming to you from Taylor Jackson, this interesting video essay discusses the possible resurgence of the shoot and burn. So-named because the files were burned on CDs, the shoot and burn was popular in the early 2010s for things like family mini-sessions, where a photographer could set up a dozen sessions in a row, charge a discounted rate, and save themselves the hassle of a huge collection of images to edit. I think Jackson poses a very interesting question here. AI culling and editing software is getting better and better, and as such, it is reasonable to wonder if it will herald the return of the shoot and burn's popularity and if we might see it make its way into higher-stakes and more involved shooting scenarios. I can certainly see it being a benefit for photographers in certain situations, such as bulk headshots or mini sessions. Check out the video above, where multiple pros weigh in on the topic.  

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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3 Comments

Pro cameras will have to start including AI editing internally soon.

At least some presets. It'd be pretty rad if you could load your camera with presets or LUTs from your computer.

Makes me think of loading AI software on the Zeiss ZX1.