09/12/2024
Friends, let's talk about AI photos. I genuinely, without a doubt, hate them. As a florist, we often have customers share a picture of an arrangement online and think that photo can be reproduced. Some do not realize that pics online; Facebook, Pinterest, and Insta, the majority of them are AI, fake. I always say, "Thank you for showing me your inspiration. While it’s beautiful, it’s actually AI. What I can do is show you is similar color palette/ design that I can make with what’s available and within season”… or something along those lines ❤️
That is what these photos show, an inspiration. The online photos are an example of what the flower choices are; type, color, and palette of the bouquet. Using the picture above, some want this round mound-like structure. I can assure you, this is not fully achievable with organic materials. Mother Nature is not artificial and there will always be discrepancies based sheerly on stem structure and bloom growth. We cannot control an organic, natural, wonderfully made flower stem. Although we get as close as we can!!
Please understand that floral design in fresh is a form of art and not a photo copy service. It is like physically recreating a famous piece from Rembrandt, by hand painting using oils and brushes versus a copy by just printing a photo of his work. Floral design takes a great amount of skill and training, some florists are certified, we hold art degrees, and have worked in the business for more than 25 years. It continually amazes me that florists are held to such a standard and yet, there are those that demand a carbon copy bouquet that is AI generated.
So, here we are, with a website full of these photos, some from FTD, who by all rights is the leader and trend setter of bouquets, AI generated photos, and an awesome substitution clause that no one reads. We received a scathingly bad review this week, over the lack of understanding of what an AI photo arrangement is. This customer could not be satisfied even when our owner redid the arrangement himself, and added to it. Currently, the customer has enlisted his friends as well, to damage our small business and our reputations. Friends, it hurts my heart.