Rankin is a renowned British photographer best known for his bold, iconic portraits and his boundary-pushing approach to fashion and culture. He rose to prominence in the 1990s after co-founding Dazed & Confused magazine with Jefferson Hack. The publication became a cultural force, showcasing cutting-edge photography and launching Rankin’s career as a leading visual artist.
His work spans editorial, commercial, and fine art, with a signature style that blends high-impact visuals with emotional intimacy. Rankin has photographed some of the most recognisable faces in the world, including David Bowie, Kate Moss, Madonna, Queen Elizabeth II, and Daniel Craig. His portraits are known for their directness and energy, often revealing unexpected sides of well-known figures.
Ignore the haters on social media – his current show FAIK OFF is the best attempt so far to tackle the role of AI in photography. The show runs at Rankin’s Kentish Town studio from until 18 June.
Like Rankin, I’m not a fan of the wholesale copyright theft which is a feature of AI but agree with him that we have to accept the fact that AI is here to stay. I’ve experimented with the AI image generation service Midjourney over the past couple of years (the same software that Rankin uses for the show). Generally I use AI for fun birthday cards for friends, clients and family, rather than commercial work. Creating images with AI is a bit like being a back seat driver – you don’t have the direct control that you have as a photographer. I always start with one of my images, alter it with AI and then have to clean it up in Photoshop so it looks presentable.
Rankin’s show is packed with hundreds of images created with AI, most of which look – well – AI generated. Most interesting is Rankin interrogating AI (Chat CPT) on its role and future.
Rankin examines the blurring of the lines between the real and the synthetic. As AI gets exponentially better, it’s going to get really hard for us to tell the difference. AI is the worst now that it is ever going to be and it is already quite convincing. In my own work, I see a move back to using film cameras if evidence is needed that an image is real and un-manipulated. So I’m hanging onto my trusty Hasselblads, you never know when they might come in useful.
