Artificial intelligence is everywhere you look now, making its way into music streaming, social media, gaming, web search, and almost every other technological field. Whenever a new phone or laptop is launched these days, what is invariably mentioned first is how much AI it has on board.
The reach of AI also extends deeply into mobile photography. It started with intelligent, algorithm-based adjustments to the color and brightness of your mobile photos. Now we’re about to include people in photographs who weren’t actually there at the time, or alternatively, erase people and objects from a shot. Both Android and iOS also apply automatic algorithms to make colors in photos pop and add more dynamics to images.
It doesn’t have to be like this. You can still find mobile camera apps that bypass AI and give you back control, so taking photos is more about framing moments and scenes than any kind of AI faking. These are two of the best.
zero chamber
zero chamber it proudly promotes its anti-AI ethos, describing itself as “the simplest way to take photographs”, with the idea being as close to a real point-and-shoot camera as possible. A natural, authentic look is in (the app actually records in RAW format) and artificial over-processing is out.
There’s really not much to say in terms of how to use the app: you frame the shot and press the yellow shutter button (which has a rotating carousel of labels, including “zap” and “piu piu”). The only other button on the interface lets you control zoom options, which will vary depending on the phone you’re using.
To begin with, it’s a little disconcerting to have such a simple and minimal interface to work with, but I found that I quickly got used to it. It’s liberating to simply point and shoot without worrying about anything else, and the Zerocam social media feed is full of examples of the fantastic photos you can take with this app.
The app’s developers are engaging with their community and are currently running a “365 Challenge” to encourage users to take one photo a day. You can see the directions by setting the Zerocam widget on your home screen. It is also possible to launch the app directly from the lock screen if you wish.