Some poignant thoughts on where we are Mark. As for AI, John Naughton’s articles in the Observer are a good weekly read for me. They challenge the hype while acknowledging the reality.
Thanks for the reminder that we are corporeal no matter how cyborgy. Like to think that emotion, sentience, being will remain our exclusive domain just a little longer. And for the good discussion of the politics and economics of AI.
As for Substack.... I’m having a look at Beehiiv. Good interface. Fewer opportunities than this place offers for dialogue and connection. So frustrating.
Thanks for the comments, Marcello. I think we are reading some of the same authors here. I’ll have a look at Beehiiv. I’ll keep trucking on here for a bit longer, at least, and see how things develop.
Thank you for reading and linking! It's still definitely a weird feeling knowing my work was stolen to train AI and there's little I can do about it (though there is now a lawsuit for affected nonfiction writers like me, which the Authors Guild is supporting).
But I probably haven't read anything better than your "list of things software can't do." I'm going to be directing people to that for their own sanity. And referring to it for mine! And I can't second, third, fourth, or generally say "yes" enough times a recommendation for taking a long walk when it all becomes too much ...
I'm currently reading "In Praise of Walking" (by Shane O'Mara) and "52 Ways to Walk" (by Annabel Streets). I've ordered your book as well, which I expect will arrive by the time I have finished these two.
I never thought I would miss walking in snow as much as I do (it rarely snows in Dunedin and I have to go inland an/or higher up to find snow). I spent two winters in Timmons, in Northern Ontario on work terms when I was a university student. It was -40 when I first arrived (that's where Celsius and Fahrenheit meet). It never got that cold again, but -20c was not uncommon. I would go out into the woods and walk or jog, following the the snowmobile tracks so I wouldn't get lost. The sky was so high, the air was is clear, and the sounds were so crisp. I'll never forget it.
Great book choices! I really enjoyed O'Mara's, and have recommended "52 Ways to Walk" to countless (by now) people, along with a more literary book she wrote under the name Annabel Abbs titled "Windswept," about well-known creative walking women (Georgia O'Keefe, Nan Shepherd, Gwen Johns, Frieda Lawrence, and more). I find her writing so delightful, and she is as a person, too.
Your description of walking in snow is delightful. I truly love it, though it was -40 for several days at a time here here winter and I did give that a miss. I'd rather not have frostbite if I can help it! But you have exactly what I love about it -- the sky, air, and sounds of such particular quality. And the smell! I love the smell of that quiet, that air.
Side note: I keep reading Dunedin as Dunedain and assume you are somewhere in the ancient North Kingdom of Lord of the Rings's Middle Earth. Though I guess if you're in New Zealand that's not far off!
Thanks for the comment, Charlie. This alerted me to your Substack, which I will explore.
Your most recent post, "Can Color Be a Compositional Guideline?", makes me think that the woman and bench photo would be better if the background was less noisey and more out of focus. If, rather than coming across this scene, I had a concept for this image in my head and wanted to create it, a different approach would have been required.
I am reminded of a kindly Latvian professor I had in the first year of architecture school. He explained that a corner can be made (draw a line with a pencil, making a 90 degree turn without lifting the pencil from the paper), or a corner can be born (draw one straight line, raise the pencil, then draw a second straight line at a 90 degree angle that partially overlaps with the first line). In the first instance, you have an idea for a corner in advance and the pencil meets the paper with a clear intent. In the second, the corner is the unintended consequence of independent actions and decisions. If we’re lucky, it’s a fortuitous discovery.
I never thought about that background and more blur. I saw the yellow bench and woman in the red dress and thought wow. Not sure i looked at anything else but a hint of blur would be easy in PS.
I have an Adobe subscription for Lightroom and Photoshop but I rarely use Photoshop. And I'm probably using about 5% of what Lightroom can do. Learning software is like walking up a hill. It's just fine for the first 15 minutes or so.
Good post, Mark. But the truth is, AI is here to stay and will only become a bigger part in our lives, no matter on which topics. It's the good old 'adapt or die' I guess. Main question is how we can and should adapt as the rules are yet to be set.
You are probably right, Marcel. I just read that Volkswagen will be integrating ChatGPT into its IDA voice assistant. So many companies are already integrating AI into their products and services (including Adobe Lightroom, which I use to process my photos). Soon, like salt and sugar, it will be in most digital products in larger or smaller amounts. Once we assume that is a given, there will be no requirement or expectation to include it in the list of ingredients.
There will be a race by the big players to secure control and dominance of this new technology, which will provide an economic boost for owners and investors who won't be overly concerned about the externalities. Maybe, like oil, AI will soon be used in the production of just about everything. Like cars, we can predict that many will have a conflicted love/hate relationship with AI. Let's hope that, unlike oil, it doesn't take us over 100 years to become aware of the dangers and long-term harm. It would be most unfortunate if OpenAI and others take a move-fast-and-break-things approach. Try having a conversation with ChatGPT about copyright.
Very interesting. It's hard not to imagine ChatGPT as a person sitting in the room with you. As he/she/it comments, "it's worth noting that there are other factors at play in the stock photography market, such as the need for authenticity and originality, which may be difficult for AI-generated images to replicate". As AI becomes ubiquitous (as it is likely to), authenticity and originality might be valued more.
Just discovered your page(?) and enjoying your photography. I came to this country, from Scotland, in 1989 and still to this day I love the shade of blue of the sky , I still stop and look up, something to do with that sharpness you talked about I guess. And definitely unique to NZ
Thanks for leaving a comment, David. I guess we are all citizens of the world, trying to understand it. We use science to change the world and art to understand it. Or is it the other way around? Some artists are also scientists, and vice versa. It all started when we first looked up into that blue sky.
Some poignant thoughts on where we are Mark. As for AI, John Naughton’s articles in the Observer are a good weekly read for me. They challenge the hype while acknowledging the reality.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/30/ai-artifical-intelligence-2023-long-term-impact-nvidia-h100-microsoft
That article is well worth reading. Thanks for drawing my attention to it, Andrew.
Hi Mark. Great pics, wonderful post, Happy New Year!
Thanks Athol. Happy New Year to you, too. I hope your city tours are going well.
Thanks for the reminder that we are corporeal no matter how cyborgy. Like to think that emotion, sentience, being will remain our exclusive domain just a little longer. And for the good discussion of the politics and economics of AI.
As for Substack.... I’m having a look at Beehiiv. Good interface. Fewer opportunities than this place offers for dialogue and connection. So frustrating.
Thanks for the comments, Marcello. I think we are reading some of the same authors here. I’ll have a look at Beehiiv. I’ll keep trucking on here for a bit longer, at least, and see how things develop.
Thank you for reading and linking! It's still definitely a weird feeling knowing my work was stolen to train AI and there's little I can do about it (though there is now a lawsuit for affected nonfiction writers like me, which the Authors Guild is supporting).
But I probably haven't read anything better than your "list of things software can't do." I'm going to be directing people to that for their own sanity. And referring to it for mine! And I can't second, third, fourth, or generally say "yes" enough times a recommendation for taking a long walk when it all becomes too much ...
Thank you for your kind words, Antonia.
I'm currently reading "In Praise of Walking" (by Shane O'Mara) and "52 Ways to Walk" (by Annabel Streets). I've ordered your book as well, which I expect will arrive by the time I have finished these two.
I never thought I would miss walking in snow as much as I do (it rarely snows in Dunedin and I have to go inland an/or higher up to find snow). I spent two winters in Timmons, in Northern Ontario on work terms when I was a university student. It was -40 when I first arrived (that's where Celsius and Fahrenheit meet). It never got that cold again, but -20c was not uncommon. I would go out into the woods and walk or jog, following the the snowmobile tracks so I wouldn't get lost. The sky was so high, the air was is clear, and the sounds were so crisp. I'll never forget it.
Great book choices! I really enjoyed O'Mara's, and have recommended "52 Ways to Walk" to countless (by now) people, along with a more literary book she wrote under the name Annabel Abbs titled "Windswept," about well-known creative walking women (Georgia O'Keefe, Nan Shepherd, Gwen Johns, Frieda Lawrence, and more). I find her writing so delightful, and she is as a person, too.
Your description of walking in snow is delightful. I truly love it, though it was -40 for several days at a time here here winter and I did give that a miss. I'd rather not have frostbite if I can help it! But you have exactly what I love about it -- the sky, air, and sounds of such particular quality. And the smell! I love the smell of that quiet, that air.
Side note: I keep reading Dunedin as Dunedain and assume you are somewhere in the ancient North Kingdom of Lord of the Rings's Middle Earth. Though I guess if you're in New Zealand that's not far off!
So well written Mark. And a great look at todays realities. The photos are awesome. The woman yellow bench = stunning!
Thanks for the comment, Charlie. This alerted me to your Substack, which I will explore.
Your most recent post, "Can Color Be a Compositional Guideline?", makes me think that the woman and bench photo would be better if the background was less noisey and more out of focus. If, rather than coming across this scene, I had a concept for this image in my head and wanted to create it, a different approach would have been required.
I am reminded of a kindly Latvian professor I had in the first year of architecture school. He explained that a corner can be made (draw a line with a pencil, making a 90 degree turn without lifting the pencil from the paper), or a corner can be born (draw one straight line, raise the pencil, then draw a second straight line at a 90 degree angle that partially overlaps with the first line). In the first instance, you have an idea for a corner in advance and the pencil meets the paper with a clear intent. In the second, the corner is the unintended consequence of independent actions and decisions. If we’re lucky, it’s a fortuitous discovery.
I never thought about that background and more blur. I saw the yellow bench and woman in the red dress and thought wow. Not sure i looked at anything else but a hint of blur would be easy in PS.
I have an Adobe subscription for Lightroom and Photoshop but I rarely use Photoshop. And I'm probably using about 5% of what Lightroom can do. Learning software is like walking up a hill. It's just fine for the first 15 minutes or so.
Good post, Mark. But the truth is, AI is here to stay and will only become a bigger part in our lives, no matter on which topics. It's the good old 'adapt or die' I guess. Main question is how we can and should adapt as the rules are yet to be set.
You are probably right, Marcel. I just read that Volkswagen will be integrating ChatGPT into its IDA voice assistant. So many companies are already integrating AI into their products and services (including Adobe Lightroom, which I use to process my photos). Soon, like salt and sugar, it will be in most digital products in larger or smaller amounts. Once we assume that is a given, there will be no requirement or expectation to include it in the list of ingredients.
There will be a race by the big players to secure control and dominance of this new technology, which will provide an economic boost for owners and investors who won't be overly concerned about the externalities. Maybe, like oil, AI will soon be used in the production of just about everything. Like cars, we can predict that many will have a conflicted love/hate relationship with AI. Let's hope that, unlike oil, it doesn't take us over 100 years to become aware of the dangers and long-term harm. It would be most unfortunate if OpenAI and others take a move-fast-and-break-things approach. Try having a conversation with ChatGPT about copyright.
Thanks Mark, and actually I have had a conversation with ChatGPT right after the hype started in January last year; https://marcelborgstijn.substack.com/p/my-chat-with-an-algorithm
Very interesting. It's hard not to imagine ChatGPT as a person sitting in the room with you. As he/she/it comments, "it's worth noting that there are other factors at play in the stock photography market, such as the need for authenticity and originality, which may be difficult for AI-generated images to replicate". As AI becomes ubiquitous (as it is likely to), authenticity and originality might be valued more.
Just discovered your page(?) and enjoying your photography. I came to this country, from Scotland, in 1989 and still to this day I love the shade of blue of the sky , I still stop and look up, something to do with that sharpness you talked about I guess. And definitely unique to NZ
Thanks for leaving a comment, David. I guess we are all citizens of the world, trying to understand it. We use science to change the world and art to understand it. Or is it the other way around? Some artists are also scientists, and vice versa. It all started when we first looked up into that blue sky.