AI as a Tool in His Toolbox, Not a Replacement: Inside Dan Saelinger’s Evolving Approach to Image-Making
It seems that every article you read or creative call you attend, at some point, mentions AI. Lots of speculation about how it will impact our industry, for better or for worse. Photographer and Director Dan Saelinger is trying to stay a step ahead by experimenting with AI over the last few years. In a deliberate and rooted in craft method, Dan has learned how AI can be another tool in his toolbox. Acting not as a replacement for photography, but an extension of it.
As he’s gained insight and credibility in the space, he’s created a presentation that he has shared with major brands and agencies to reframe how creative teams view AI. Using the technology alongside CGI, illustration, retouching and motion in an intentional way.
From Fear to Function
After being invited by a large retailer to be a part of an internal speaker series exploring emerging technologies, Dan created this presentation to demystify AI. Most importantly, connecting it back to the craft of photography and storytelling. His thesis is simple: AI is simply one more tool that we can add into our creative toolbox. A tool that can help Photographer/Directors and creative teams visualize and create ideas that might otherwise be out of reach due to budget, time or production constraints.
Using case studies of his own work, Dan lays out that when using AI for a project, he typically starts where he always starts: lighting, color and composition. One of his earliest tests, a personal project inspired by Drunk Elephant packaging, he approached AI prompting the same way he approaches a shoot. He broke down prompts into visual fundamentals, treating the generation tool less like a black box and more like a camera with unfamiliar controls.
His AI-generated environments are paired with practical studio photography. Products are lit, styled and shot in camera and then composited and refined through Photoshop before using an AI tool to general backgrounds. Photography remains the backbone and AI expands what’s possible around it, showing clients that what they’re seeing is the result of decisions, iteration, and taste, not randomness.
The Need for Humans
Moving onto more recent experiments, Dan showcases a concept creative for Native, where AI was used to generate expansive outdoor environments that would have been impractical to build physically. This case study highlights something Dan emphasizes repeatedly: AI can and needs to be controlled. It can only produce high-quality work and be coerced into alignment with a vision when approached thoughtfully.
Real work by real humans is crucial. Prompting, interaction, refinement, repeat. This kind of imagery takes time and energy.
Another recurring theme is responsibility. Dan is transparent about how he trains the AI programs, uploading his own work as references. He thinks of AI in the same ethical framework as traditional creative development. Mood boards, decks and references have always been a part of the process. He believes this point of view avoids work that is hollow, derivative or disconnected from human emotion. If there isn’t a narrative or visual reason to explore an idea, he lets it go.
Curious to learn more?
Dan’s full presentation runs about 25 minutes and is designed as a way to educate and open the conversation with brands and creative teams who are trying to understand where AI fits into their workflows.
He’s already delivered AI-driven work for brands such as Allbirds and for editorial outlets like Harvard Business Review and Scientific American. If you’re curious how AI can function as a production tool, how it integrates with photography rather than replaces it or where it genuinely adds value for brands, we’d love to set up a time for you to join the conversation and talk to Dan and encourage you to reach out to office@heatherelder.com.
Using AI comes with an understanding of terms of use. If you’d like to learn more about how to apply AI usage in contracts, please visit the Artist Management Association’s website.