AI vs Real

 Added to June 29, 2022
Jun 292022
 

Day two of playing with the text-to-image AI called MidJourney, and I have another thought to share. What will this technology bring to the future of creativity and copyright?

One of these is a photograph I took, and the other is an AI generated image based of a vague description that I gave the AI. Something like, “A large black feather stuck in the sand at a beach at sunset, photograph, telephoto, shallow depth of field.”

If you look closely you can probably tell what is my photo and what is computer generated, but they are damn close, and as AI advances, who knows if anyone will be able to tell real from fake. Maybe in a year? In five? It’s going to be insane.

Sphere

 Added to June 28, 2022
Jun 282022
 

I am working with a new AI right now, called MidJourney, that is really blowing my mind. Am I even the maker anymore? Is it even art? Is creativity evolving or shrinking? I’m not even sure anymore. All I know is that this technology really excites me, and without me (or the AI) this image would never exist.

For this image, I gave the AI a prompt of text about a giant sphere made of metal, and a forest with tall trees at sunset. I then ran the process multiple times to create a dozen images, picked a few I liked, then ran the process again on them. I ended up loving this one, added a sky that I photographed, and edited the image to my liking in Photoshop.

Two Worlds

 Added to June 16, 2022
Jun 162022
 

In my free time (especially late at night on weekends) I go into VR and fire up Microsoft Flight Simulator – an airplane flying sim that literally has the entire planet mapped out, some cities down to the houses and trees in full 3D. I pick a new place, like Paris, and fly through the clouds and streets. It is honestly the most crazy and breathtaking feeling… from just sitting in my office.

Anyway, I love those views. Being above the clouds. This image began with a shot from a real airplane, but I had the idea to flip it and see how I could make a scene work with a “two worlds” kind of idea. I tested out a few top images mixed with a few bottom, and this combination felt right. The foggy marsh mixes with the grassy farmlands – now just imagine if that was a thing?

Strawberry Supermoon

 Added to June 15, 2022
Jun 152022
 

I focused on the moon and took a fast exposure, then focused on the tree and took a slower exposure to let in light. Blending the two exposures is nearly impossible to get “natural” looking. You see this often and the images always look super fake. That said, this blending seems to have turned out better than most.

Craiyon AI

 Added to June 14, 2022
Jun 142022
 

I can tell I am going to get deep into this new AI imagery. The technology is just mind blowing, even when the outcome isn’t quite perfect. Just blows my mind that we have the power to turn text into imagery in seconds. These are pretty awful, but hilarious. Just wait until you see the more advanced AI models… Here are four fun AI creations based on text I sent:

Here is:
(1) A Rocket In Outer Space With A Planet Made Of Pizza
(2) Salvador Dali Hugging Brittney Spears With R2D2 In The Background
(3) A Pig Snorting Lines Of Cocaine
(4) A Mountainous Landscape At Night With Stars In The Sky And An Old Telephone Booth In The Foreground

Shallou Music Video

 Added to June 6, 2022
Jun 062022
 

Music artist Shallou (who is brilliantly amazing by the way) did a really cool thing where he asked people to submit video footage and then picked clips to make up a fan-made music video.

“High Tide” is his latest, and I was lucky enough to get selected. At 2:46 there is a foggy clip of seagulls flying around, taken on my birthday in 2020 on Folly Beach. It’s only a few seconds, but it’s pretty cool to have media in a music video. Check it out. Really chill song, and great footage.

Phish in CHS

 Added to June 1, 2022
Jun 012022
 

It’s been quite a while since I got out to a big concert, especially since the whole Covid thing and such, so this was a big deal for me. My favorite band Phish came to my city, so I had to go. I got my Divided Sky and Piper, danced in the back with a bunch of wooks, and handed out free 4×5 prints of Charleston sunsets to random people all night. Also climbed to the way top to snag this sunset photograph.

Ninety Degrees and Partly Cloudy

 Added to May 23, 2022
May 232022
 

Ever since purchasing DxO PhotoLAB, I have been really enjoying looking through old images and trying to re-process them with less noise and more details. While working on this image, I decided I wanted to see if I could “bend” the pier at an angle. I’m a fan of “weird”.

Willow Puppy

 Added to May 14, 2022
May 142022
 

So… meet Willow Dog, the 8 week old, fluffy, 3.5lb tri corgi. She’s going to grow fast!

Project Parking Garage #4

 Added to May 10, 2022
May 102022
 

I started a new project. I noticed how many parking garages we have downtown, so I use Google Maps to plan out a spot, then take a ride with my camera. It’s funny going up in a garage just for the sunset, but honestly, it’s unlike anything else. Amazing views on all angles, and it just feels so freeing up there. This is Project Parking Garage #4.

The Dreaming State