A.I. Appreciation Day
Today, July 16th, is A.I. Appreciation Day. Well, at least it is according to A.I. Heart LLC, the company that invented this “holiday” in 2021. It’s intended to be a day to acknowledge the positive impact A.I. has on society, as well as promote discussion about ethics and the responsible development of A.I.
While we recognize A.I.’s potential to revolutionize fields from healthcare to scientific research, we’re also more than a little uneasy about the flood of A.I.-generated imagery, much of which is based on training using photographs taken by actual human beings, usually without their permission.
While we’re not going to get that particular genie back in the bottle, we’ve decided to celebrate A.I. Appreciation Day by doing something really appreciative: showcasing real photos by real photographers in the DPReview community. These photos highlight some of our favorite images from our Editors’ photo challenge series in 2025. We hope you enjoy them as much as we have.
Oh, and we would be remiss if we failed to mention that July 16th is also Corn Fritters Day, National Personal Chef Day and National Hot Dog Day. Just in case you need an excuse to celebrate.
Girl with llama
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Challenge theme: Red, Green and Blue
Photographer: JeffryzPhoto
Description: High up in the Andes Mountains of Peru near the Sacred Valley a girl walks with her pet llama. Even the llama is wearing red, green, blue, and white.
Equipment: Fujifilm X-T4 + Fujifilm XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR
Mesmerized
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Challenge theme: B&W Street
Photographer: Daneland
Description: A young girl watches soap bubbles with a mesmerized expression on Southbank, London. If you look carefully, you can see reflections of the Tate Gallery in the individual bubbles.
Equipment: Leica Q2 + 28mm Summilux
Window frost
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Challenge theme: Water
Photographer: Bram Floria
Description: Waiting for the defroster to kick in, Spokane, WA, on January 26, 2025. On a bright, cold morning following a night of ice storms, the water came out to play as leaves of crystal.
Equipment: Google Pixel 6a
Pretty big jump
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Challenge theme: Human-Powered Travel
Photographer: Gbeeston
Description: Built this jump with my friend over a week, turned out a little larger than we had imagined. The day we tried hitting it was a little muddy, so getting up to speed was a challenge. After a few run ups, he pulled the trigger. Neither of us were expecting to get that much height of the lip!
Equipment: Canon EOS R8 + Canon EF 50mm F1.8 STM
The secret oasis
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Challenge theme: Chasing Summer
Photographer: Giampier
Description: It was one of those July afternoons when the air is still and heavy, and the sun burns your skin. The city seemed to be slumbering under the oppressive heat. For three young friends, boredom was about to take over, until their parents brought them to a park that held a secret. At first, it was just a path like any other, lined by a wooden fence and topped by a pergola of climbing plants. But then, as if by magic, a thick, cool cloud began to descend from the pergola. It was a tunnel of mist. This photo captures the exact moment when shyness turned into pure joy. After a brief moment of hesitation, one of them darted off, and the others followed without a second thought. They are running not just to find relief from the heat, but to cross a portal into another world.
Equipment: Pentax KP + Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM | C
Take off
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Challenge theme: Winter Games
Photographer: mmkarb
Description: Heliskiing was a bucket item I thought I’d never get a chance to experience, but I got an opportunity in 2019 and couldn’t pass it up. It allowed the group to experience amazing skiing and breathtaking views. One of my favorite views came together with the helicopter dropping us off at the top of the mountain and being able to take in the entire view.
Equipment: GoPro Hero5 Black
Fighting the flow
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Challenge theme: Human-Powered Travel
Photographer: Nilesh Trivedi
Description: A kayaker faces up to the ultimate challenge: riding the Grade 5 rapids at the Zambezi River, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. These are some of the most intense rapids known to Man.
Equipment: Canon EOS 70D + Sigma 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM
Good afternoon, Mr. Station Master
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Challenge theme: Red, Green and Blue
Photographer: Cambrian Coast
Description: Carrog Station is located on the Llangollen to Corwen heritage railway. Here we see the Station Master Platt saying good afternoon to the resident of the station house.
Equipment: Sony a7R IV + Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS
One more time?
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Challenge theme: Chasing Summer
Photographer: Martella Media
Description: My daughter was deathly afraid of the “swing swinger” at first. Then, after one ride, she kept asking, “One more time?” We bought an unlimited ride bracelet after that.
Equipment: Canon AE-1 Program + Canon FD 50mm F1.8
Kings of the street
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Challenge theme: B&W Street
Photographer: SFStreets
Description: Every year, the San Francisco Low Rider Council holds the “King of the Streets” event, where lowriders cruise along Mission Street. This year I caught a skateboarder come riding by one of the entrants, between 17th and 18th Streets. We all survived the encounter.
Equipment: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II
Harris Hill, VT
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Challenge theme: Winter Games
Photographer: jshepka
Description: With its 100th anniversary, Harris Hill in Brattleboro, Vermont, is one of the oldest ski jump hills in the US. It is a FIS-approved 90-meter hill that has been around since 1922. This image is a view of a jumper passing in front of the judge’s tower on the way down!
Equipment: Canon EOS 70D + Canon EF 16-35mm F4L IS USM
Under
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Challenge theme: Water
Photographer: Cliff Connell
Description: On one of the last hot days in autumn 2011, just before our southern Australian Easter swell kicked in, I had just finished a long session of surfing some pretty big, clean waves when I decided to get back in to capture some in-water shots of the rest of the crew. Most of the shots I got that morning were pretty average, except for this one of a young guy duck diving under the closed-out section of a 5-6 foot wave. It made my day!
Equipment: Canon EOS 20D + Tamron SP AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II VC LD
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