Editorial standards

Photography Unpacked uses AI tools to help research and draft articles. A human reviews every article, checks its supporting sources, and decides whether it is ready to publish.

How an article is made

  1. Research. We investigate the question using accessible sources and collect the evidence needed to support factual claims.
  2. Draft. AI tools may help organize the research, develop an angle, or produce a draft from that evidence.
  3. Review. The article is checked for usefulness, clarity, factual accuracy, and source support.
  4. Publish. A human editor approves, edits, or rejects the final draft. AI tools cannot approve or publish an article.

Sources and evidence

Technical and factual claims must be supported by an accessible source or clearly identified as practical judgment. Articles list the sources used for material claims and link to the original source when possible. Quotes, test results, ownership, and personal experience are never invented. If we cannot verify a claim, we remove it or explain the uncertainty.

Product experience and review labels

We describe product experience according to the evidence we actually have:

  • Researched guide: advice based on published evidence, not personal testing.
  • Comparison: documented features and evidence are compared without implying that both products were used.
  • First impressions: observations from limited use, not a complete evaluation.
  • Hands-on review: the reviewer used the specific product under conditions described in the article.
  • Long-term review: the reviewer used the product for a period stated in the article.

When equipment is loaned, supplied as a review sample, or provided through a commercial relationship, the article discloses it.

AI use and human review

AI tools may assist with research organization, angle development, drafting, or quality checks. They cannot approve their own work or publish an article. If an article changes after review, the revised version must be checked again before publication.

Images

Article images may be original, licensed, supplied by a manufacturer, or generated with AI. We identify supplied or generated images when their origin matters to the reader. We do not present an AI-generated image as a real test photograph, a product we handled, or a place or person we photographed.

Commercial independence

Companies cannot pay to change a conclusion, receive a favorable verdict, or keep relevant criticism out of an article. Sponsorships, affiliate links, loaned equipment, and review samples are disclosed when they apply. Commercial relationships do not determine our conclusions.

Corrections and updates

We correct factual errors in the article. When a correction changes a reader’s understanding or a recommendation, we add a dated note explaining what changed. Material updates receive an updated date or note. Typos and formatting fixes may be corrected without a note.

Publication responsibility

Before an article goes live, Jason Lee reviews the final draft and decides whether to publish it. He is also responsible for corrections.