More thoughts on the current state of photography

[pierces]

I have been thinking about this subject a bit more, and I felt I should revisit it and mention the biggest changes in photography in 150 years.

 

Phones and AI.

 

I just ordered a new one and it has made me aware just how much of an impact that has had on photography. Putting what amounts to a device with photographic capabilities that range from a good compact to a high-end bridge camera into the hands of 4+ billion users has created a photography boom unlike any time in history. Recent updates to estimates have predicted that 1.94 trillion photos will be taken in 2024. That's 5.3 billion photos per day, or 61,400 photos per second. Of those images, 94% will be captured with a phone. I don't have a number indicating what percentage will be "good" photos, but I imagine that hasn't changed much since the days of the Instamatic and flash cubes. 

 

Since my digital epiphany in 2001, I have owned a string of ever more capable compact cameras that were pocketable and ready to shoot at a moment's notice. That effectively ended on Wednesday, May 7, 2014 at 1:33 PM when I fired up my new Windows phone and took this photo:

 

 

After that my use of my compact camera dropped off so much that a few months later I gave it to my Granddaughter who was showing an increasing interest in photography. That was the last compact camera and the beginning of a growing respect for the ever-increasing capabilities being crammed into these little slabs of metal and glass. In 2017, Microsoft reimagined its phone division and imagined that it no longer existed. I started looking for a replacement and research pointed me to the new Pixel phone from Google. The company's focus on photography has led to my owning another three ever-more-capable compact cameras with a built-in phone (my perception). Number five is on the way and it has a major new capability that has me teetering on a fence, AI has become a thing. The AI-driven Magic Eraser on the Pixel 8 rivaled Photoshop in its ability to remove minor unwanted objects, but the new phone has sky/background replacement and edit capabilities that can add you to a group photo without handing your phone to a stranger. It also has generative capabilities that can add non-existent features to a scene. I don't mind AI-powered minor object removal, noise reduction or upscaling, but I still resist using AI to "take" a picture that I didn't. I'm also ok with using AI as a tool to deliberately modify an image for artistic purposes, such as graphic art, but not to pass the modified image as unmodified.

 

Slippery slope. Might be time to just give up and walk away from the dream of engaging in "pure" photography and frame this picture I took of a jetpack-equipped cat shooting a laser rifle at aliens as a floating city falls from the sky.

 

 

 

I'm interested in your thoughts about AI enhancement. Is it just another art form gaining popularity, or a sign of the End Times?

 

Dave

 

Edited August 14 by pierces

[billandsue]

Dave -- I have been an avid user of generative AI programs for some time. I create my images primarily with Midjourney and Adobe Firefly. To generate a basic image, I try several different prompts -- with Midjourney, I can specify the aspect ratio, specific camera and lens, lighting, and other features. I usually try a number of prompts before I am reasonably happy with the images generated. I then select the image I want to work with. After I have selected an image and saved it, I begin my workflow, which typically includes extensive post-processing using such programs as Topaz Photo AI, Snapseed, and Photoshop Elements. Post-processing includes upscaling the image, removing noise, sharpening, cropping, adjusting features such as brightness, contrast, shadows, saturation, tint, and special effects such as HDR, vignetting, etc. If the image is black and white, there are specialized features to work with in post-processing to achieve the correct tonal balance. Typically, I spend a couple of hours on post-processing before I am satisfied that the image is ready to upload to Flickr and print. In short, my workflow with AI-generated images is no different than the workflow for my photographic images, and actually involves more activity in generating the original image. When I upload to Flickr, I am careful not to describe the images as photos.  I use the term "images" and candidly note that the images were generated with AI programs such as Midjourney or Adobe Firefly.   When the first photographic images were created around 1839, painters and visual artists felt that this new technology would render their artistic efforts and creations obsolete. Of course, that did not happen. Similarly, AI will not render photographic images obsolete. It is another tool with which artists can create images that evoke both visual and emotional responses. In closing, I highly recommend Susan Sontag's book "On Photography," a collection of essays she wrote in the 1970s.

[billandsue]

Here are a couple of images I have created with Midjourney AI.  Click on the images to enlarge for greater detail.

Edited August 14 by billandsue
added additional text

[pierces]

15 hours ago, billandsue said:

Here are a couple of images I have created with Midjourney AI. 

 

Those are really nice. The image creation process you described is sort of like painting with words and to me, is just a cool new way to create an image. I should be done with the house projects next year and might have some time play with AI. I still love using my cameras and I can't quite see myself on a whale watching boat describing what I'm seeing to my laptop or phone app so it can generate an image of whales breaching. I know that sounds silly, but I'm willing to take bets on someone trying it for a YouTube orTicTok video.

 

 

As for the power and capability of AI being used for good or evil, to me it's just like the force in Star wars or magic in Harry Potter, it's the user that is the determining factor. 

 

For the record, I consider your use of AI to be firmly on the good side. 😉 

 

Dave 

Edited August 15 by pierces

[billandsue]

Interesting that you mention an image of whales breaching.  Although I've been on an Alaskan cruise, I have not been able to get a decent photo of a whale breaching.  So, I turned to Midjourney and typed in the following prompt: "Extra wide digital photo of a Humpback Whale fluke visible in Resurrection Bay in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska taken with a Sony A7R Mark II camera."  I selected one of several images generated by Midjourney, and performed several enhancements in post-processing with programs such as Photoshop CC, Topaz AI, etc.  Below is the resulting image:

 

 

[pierces]

Our luck has been pretty good. Last year, we even got a half hour watching a group of Humpbacks bubble-netting

 

For whale tail images, I typed Tracy Arm (pptphoto.com) into the Edge search bar and copied these from my Alaska 2013 page. 🙂

 

 

I may have to try Midjourney. I have played with Grok, but I think it is less optimized for image creation than pure searching. It did pretty well on "laptop guy" above but complex requests look a bit too cartoonish. A really good cartoon, but not completely photorealistic.

 

Thanks for the information.

 

Dave

 

[billandsue]

I pay for the premium versions of Midjourney and Adobe Firefly, which gives me pretty much unlimited access to create images with both platforms.  I've received a few comments on Flickr that my images are "fake," or that I'm trying to pass them off as actual photos, which is not true.  Both platforms have an amazing ability to create photorealistic images, although in my opinion, Midjourney is better at it than Firefly.  Of course, Adobe has the edge in post-processing, with tools like Photoshop CC.  One of the biggest advantages of generative AI programs like Midjourney and Firefly is that they afford people like me, who may not have the opportunity or ability (not to mention the equipment) to visit exotic locales and take professional-quality photos, a platform whereby I can create beautiful, high-quality images to enjoy and to share with others.  I have purchased a high-end photo printer, and am printing some of the best images I have ever created.  In addition, I am becoming far more proficient in developing my post-processing skills like upscaling, sharpening, dodging and burning, and others.  I think that many photographers will agree that while taking a photo requires a number of skills related to composition, lighting, focal length, shutter speed, aperture, etc., much of the time-consuming work in creating an image with visual impact occurs during post-processing.

 

Thanks for starting this discussion, Dave.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts as well as those of others.