Feb 3, 2026
Sona Poghosyan
AI companies train image models on huge collections of photos. More and more, they’re not relying on random images pulled from the internet. They’re commissioning custom photo sets that capture everyday life in a clear, consistent way.
That creates a new paid opportunity for photographers: getting commissioned to shoot everyday realism photo sets for AI training. In this article, we’ll cover what these requests usually require and how to shoot sets that get approved every time.
How AI models learn from photos
AI image models learn by seeing lots of examples. They need examples of how light hits skin and fabric, how shadows soften across a messy room, and how reflections behave on glass and metal.
Those details are what keep an image believable. They’re easy for a person to judge at a glance, but hard to fake without seeing a lot of real cases. When the training data doesn’t include enough everyday variety, the model falls back on what it thinks is good enough. That’s how you get textures that turn waxy or smeared, shadows that don’t agree with the light source, and reflections that feel physically impossible.
Which is why realism photography is so valuable. During training, developers feed millions of images into a neural network. The system runs an enormous number of calculations across those samples, measuring patterns and relationships in the pixels.
The images are typically processed into numeric form so the model can compare examples efficiently. After enough passes, those learned parameters are what allow a generator to produce new images from a text prompt, because it has absorbed common visual patterns and their links to language.
Emerging realism photography projects
These projects usually want a series of images around one consistent theme. Think one scene, one routine, or one task, shot with enough coverage that the images make sense together.
Most briefs boil down to the same core requirements:
Original files
Submit images you shot yourself. Keep third-party content out of the frame, especially posters, artwork, book covers, TV screens, and prominent logos.
A consistent theme
Pick one scenario per set and stick to it. One location, one routine, one task. Don’t mix unrelated scenes.
Coverage and variety
Build the set with real coverage. Include wide, medium, and close shots. Change angles and distance. Add a bit of lighting variety when it happens naturally.
Minimal editing
Keep the look believable. Basic exposure and color correction is fine. Avoid heavy presets, strong stylized grading, aggressive denoise, and over-sharpening.
People rules and releases
Follow the brief. Some projects require no people. If people are allowed, releases may be required. Avoid minors unless the brief explicitly allows them and you have documentation.
Continuity for sequences
If the set shows a task, make the steps easy to follow. Keep the viewpoint steady enough for continuity, then vary shots on purpose.
Achieving realism in photography: camera settings
For realism photography sets, the goal is consistency. These camera settings help you keep scenes natural, and easy to read across a full sequence.
Aperture
You don’t want the background disappearing if you’re going for realism. You want the subject and the setting to stay clear in the same frame.
A good default for aperture is around f/5.6 to f/8. It keeps everyday scenes sharp enough to read: hands, objects, surfaces, and the background cues. It also helps you avoid painfully slow shutter speeds indoors.
Then tweak from there:
Go wider (around f/2.8–f/4) if the brief is focused on one main subject and the background isn’t doing much. Just watch that you don’t lose important parts of the object to a thin focus plane.
Stop down (around f/8–f/11) when you need more of the frame sharp, like a countertop scene with items spread front-to-back, or a task sequence where both hands and tools need to stay clear.
If you’re shooting a set, don’t lock yourself into one aperture. Get a few frames at your default, then a few wider and a few deeper. That mix usually lines up better with how these projects get reviewed.
Shutter speed
A good default for shutter speed is around 1/125 to 1/250. It’s fast enough for most everyday scenes while still being workable indoors.
Then tweak from there:
Go faster (around 1/250–1/500) when there’s any action: hands using tools, cooking, opening packages, typing, walking through the frame. This is where blur sneaks in and makes a set look soft when reviewers zoom in.
Let it go slower (around 1/60–1/125) only if the scene is truly still and you’re confident you can hold it steady. Stabilization can help with your hand shake, but it won’t freeze a moving subject.
ISO
For realism sets, ISO is usually what keeps your shutter speed from slipping into blur. If you’re shooting handheld, or there’s any movement in the scene, it’s better to take a little noise than to lose detail.
A good default is base ISO when you can, then raise it as soon as shutter speed starts getting risky. In practice, that often means you’ll land somewhere like ISO 400–1600 indoors, depending on your camera and the light.
Then tweak from there:
Go higher (ISO 1600–3200) if you need to hold a safe shutter speed for hands-in-action, people moving, or low light.
Stay lower (ISO 100–400) when the scene is bright or you’re locked down on a tripod and nothing is moving.
If you’re using Auto ISO, set a max you’re comfortable with so it doesn’t run away. Just keep an eye on shutter speed once you hit that cap, because the camera will start dragging the shutter again to compensate.
Lighting and color that stays believable
Prioritize repeatable, real-world light. If you’re shooting indoors, place the action near a window and use whatever practical lights are already in the room. Don’t fight mixed lighting, but don’t let it get out of control either.
Lock your white balance for each scene. Auto WB can drift frame to frame, especially with mixed color temperatures, and that inconsistency is obvious in a set. Pick a WB that looks natural for the space and keep it steady until the lighting changes.
Edit with a light touch. Keep contrast and saturation conservative so skin tones and materials stay true. If you’re lifting shadows, watch for color noise and muddy blacks.
These briefs are easiest when you don’t overthink them. Follow the request, capture the whole set with a good mix of angles, and aim for clean, consistent shots. Keep edits light, and watch for anything that might need a release or could raise rights issues. If the set looks natural and stays consistent all the way through, approvals get a lot more predictable.
