A Florida woman is looking forward to marking her pregnancy with a maternity photo shoot. Unfortunately, the photographer she hired isn’t able to deliver the results she expected.
TikTok creator Xilo Garcia (@odalis.gs) paid $400 for maternity photos that were supposed to be outdoors in Hialeah near Miami. But what the couple got back was a full-on catastrophe of epic, artificial intelligence-created proportions.
It’s difficult to confirm whether the photographer intended to scam Garcia. But, judging from her reaction, the final product wasn’t what she ordered. This incident also shows how AI has come to assist people in putting one over on clients.
How a Florida Woman’s Maternity Shoot Got Ruined
The video starts with the email showing an ask to complete a maternity shoot booking for a “Maternity Pack Diamond $399 EXTERIOR (Miami-Hialeah). The shoot’s location was set for Matheson Hammock Park, which is a scenic location near Biscayne Bay. In other words, the natural beauty of spring in South Florida should carry much of the weight for even an intermediate-level photographer.
But Garcia got something out of a Pixar movie. Whatever was natural in the park became cartoonish and surreal in his obvious AI-fused rendering. Nothing in the photo appears to be real or untouched by AI, aside from the man. It looks like a scene out of “Shrek”.
In the comments section, viewers questioned how Garcia found this photographer. “Do they not have a portfolio [you can view] prior to booking?” one person commented. It is a reasonable question given the rendering.
“Dispute that to the bank ASAP, please,” another said. Garcia replied that she didn’t think she could successfully dispute the transaction since she paid months ago. “Yes, you can. Explain it the (bank’s) customer service. They love to give money back after a bad service or damages or scam,” another person explained to her.
Are Photographer Scams the Latest Trend?
What is evident here is that the “photographer” likely scammed Garcia, which has become a trend. Scammers have built out entire fake portfolios using AI-generated images to pull in clients. This has been especially the case in lucrative markets, such as weddings and maternity shoots, where some families are seeking deals. Anyone can create professional-looking images without even picking up a camera. The market makes it easier for bad actors to pose as legitimate.
If there was no agreement in principle on what would be expected, results could vary with no repercussions. Even if a photographer shows up and takes real photos, heavily AI-processed results act as a form of “catfishing.” Or perhaps the scammer has used someone else’s pictures for their fake portfolio, and the victim gets something different than what was represented in the portfolio.
All Hip Hop reached out to the TikToker for more information.
@odalis.gs Hialeah quality #miami #hialeah #maternityphotoshoot #foryoupage ♬ Disaster – KSLV Noh
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