Challenge Week 8

 I'm still hanging in there completed the Week 8 Challenge.  It is still fun working on this, not sure I am improving my photography skills but it is making me think out of the box or is it out of the rut with a challenge that I would not think of normally.  maybe that's why I am enjoying it I am given a topic (challenge?) and then it is up to me to fulfill that topic.  Here is this weeks offering

52 Frames

Objective - Line from a Song - Red Solo Cup

Now, red solo cup is the best receptical
For barbecues, tailgates, fairs, and festivals

Nicolesy - 

Objective - Negative Space

Always a challenge for me.  I seem to get a lot of negative space in my images without trying, so here I am putting negative space intentionally, who would have thunk?

Not my best image but lots of negative space.  I don't feel it supports the Coca Cola bottle but its and interesting composition (?).

Digital Photography School

Objective - Lines

Some vertical lines with texture too.  Just an interesting shot I enjoyed, this is the wooden fence in my back yard.  No travel required.

The journey continues I am already preparing for next week, come back and see what I am doing.

Challenge Week 7

Challenge continues

Still going,  Even though I was traveling I kept in mind the weekly challenges.  Always on the look out.

52 Frames

Objective: Chair

Hmmm.  Chair? lots of avenues here,  I decided on a chair I saw in the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory.  Not to original but I could practice on my low angle shooting.  Again, shooting with my Sony A III with the Sony 24-240mm lens and hand held.  

Digital Photography School

Objective: No assignment

With no assignment I chose one of my shots from Key West of a sunset.  Still using the Sony with Sony lens, this 24-240 is my all around travel lens 

Nicolesy

Objective: Leading Lines

Still in Key West.  This is looking down Greene Street.

February 7 Weekly Class

 The notes and links I used for the Weekly Meeting can be found at this link

February 7 Gathering

Backyard Visitor

 Local Hawk

Looked out in to our backyard today and to my surprise there was a Coopers hawk having a snack.  Wasn't sure if it was a bird or a squirrel.  After he left we check and found some feathers (all was cleaned up), so it was a bird. The cycle of life continues.  Not the highest quality of photography - my excuse - it was shot hand held through the windows.  Thought about going outside but didn't want to disturb the bird at meal time.

Challenge Week 6

 Week Six 

Week six and I am still going.  It's not as hard as I assumed, and with some planning and cooperating weather I can get more than one challenge a day.  I am holding myself that the challenge is take the images the week that they are due.  Frame 52 insists in this submit the image that was taken the week it is due and their software checks the date on the image to ensure this is true.  The other two Nicolesy and Digital Photography School encourage that integrity, but some photographers state that they have gone to their files for the image.  Not me, I am staying true the concept even if it is tempting.  That being said here are my images for this week:

52 Frames

Objective: Shallow Depth of Field

Overhead view of a water spigot. Used my Sony A7 III, Samyang 48 mm  f1.8 lens shot at f/1.8

Got Water?

Digital Photography School

Objective: What Is It?

Post a photo and let the audience guess what the image is.  Starting the glass blowing was my image.  Again Sony A7 III with FE 24-240mm lens, hand held.

Nicolesy

Objective: Framing

Maintenance time

Now quit reading this and go take some pictures.

My Challenges

A quick note -

Some people have asked me where do I get the challenges I am doing each week.  They are;

52 Frames

52 Frames is a weekly Monday through Sunday 12 PM challenge.  You can find this at www.52frames.com  

Digital Photography School

This is a Saturday through Friday challenge.  This is Australia Time which allows for some confusion when the cutoff  and such but they don't hold you to the time.

You can find this at https://digital-photography-school.com/?s=challenge

The results are posted on their website and/or on their Facebook page.

Nicolesy

This is a Monday through Friday Challenge.  I question the M-F as it seems more Monday through Sunday.  Each Monday she sends out an email to remind us what the weeks challenge is, but you can find the whole years worth of challenges so you can somewhat plan ahead.

You can find info at https://nicolesy.com/52pc-2023/welcome/

I am sure there are others out there but these are the three I chose.  I don't know why I picked three and not just one but I did now I am obligated, especially since I have posted it.  After all if its on the internet its true - LOL.  In all cases no one holds you to doing it and if you miss a week you miss a week and start over to achieve your once a week challenge for a year.  You can start these at any time I just start the first of the year.  If you care to join me in one or more of these challenges let me know and we can hold each other accountable if you want.

Now go take a picture

Photography and Ethics?

 Artificial Intelligence and Photography

We have heard a lot lately about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and it's roll in the arts.  I have AI programs where you say or type into the program a couple ideas with one of them Van Gogh and the program will generate an image (painting) that appears to be painted by Vincent himself.  It is also available for photography also.

To experiment with this I downloaded an APP to my iPad called Dream.  With the free APP you start with typing in a Prompt(s) up to 200 characters (or use the preset prompts), then select an art style.  You have the option of adding a photograph, with an adjustment of adjust the influence you want the optional photograph  (from weak to strong) to have on the final product.  

Here is an example of the AI image I created in 30 seconds.

Starting image

AI Generation

Prompts: Marlon Brando and Glasses

Art Style: Realistic

Influence: Normal

I generated two other photos from the same base image but I do not remember the qualifiers I used for their  generation;

OR JUST ART

If I don't want to manipulate a photographic image how about generating some wall art,

Here was my attempt at this

Prompt; Van Gogh and Roses

Art Style: Expressionism

Input Image: NONE

And the results were 

Ethics

Now to the point of this discussion.  Is this ETHICAL? 

Maybe I am old fashion or whatever but I could not claim this as my work.  It is nice magic and fun to play with but No I am not a fan of doing this for any presentation of my work (I have trouble using sky replacement which is available in a number of software packages) no matter how crappy the sky is the day I took the picture.  In my humble opinion I could not do this.  BUT, then the question comes up when I use Photoshop/Lightroom for post processing am I manipulating the image to make it something that wasn't there at the time I took the photograph.  Hmmm? Just asking for a friend.

Obviously I do not have any answers on this subject.  BUT, I think it is an area the we need to be aware of and we may have to start adding this to rules for various competitions.  

There is an AI program to write letters and term papers out there which is causing a stir in academia today.  Obviously with my grammar in this posting I did not use that program.  But beware AI is here and is changing the way things are done. 

Glass Blowing

 Announcement

Saw a posting on the Northwest Houston Photo Club about a glass blowing demonstration at the Glassblowing Houston studio in Tomball Texas on FM 2920, about 8 or 9 miles from my home.  

So off we went for a cool afternoon visit at their studio. The glass blowing objective was a 12 inch fish.  The images I am posting do not  show step by step but just some of them.  The fins were basically completed the day before and kept in an oven so there was not a temperature shock when it is applied at the demo.

Again used my Sony A7 III with the 24 - 240 mm lens.  Debated which lens to carry, but not knowing how close I could get I settled on my trusty 24-240, this lens is a Full Frame lens so there is no crop factor, what you see is what you get.  Here are some images I got, and because it was crowded all are hand held.

Beginning stage - Hot out of the oven about 2700 degrees

Making the tail fin

Starting the body, the guy on the end is just keeping constant 
pressure on the product

Flattening the sides

Attaching fins

Almost done. Attaching more fins, as they were finishing
one fin fell off and broke, so they had to make a 
new fin next week fo finish.

WEEK 5 CHALLENGE

 Week 5 is complete

Week 5 is behind me.  Not a difficult challenge in the bunch.  Only difficulty this week was the crappy weather.  It has rained and overcast all week.  Not the sunlight I wanted for the ideas I had in mind.  So, with that in mind I got busy today and completed the weeks assignments while I had time.  The DPS challenge closes Friday night, that's Saturday morning Australia time, isn't the world wide web fun when you have to figure where the rule makers are and abide by their times.

Digital Photography School

Speaking of DPS lets start here.  The challenge from DPS was Things Starting with T. I had some great ideas BUT all were outside and would require sunny conditions.  None of which have we had this week.  Then I spotted some of my wifes' house decorations and spotted the T cup.  Played around with this for quite a while  and here's what I ended up with;

Study time with my T cup and Three biscuits

Nicolesy

Challenge from Nicolesy was Texture.  Tried two different subjects around around the house with no satisfaction.  THEN looked into the backyard saw the bear "climbing" went out and saw texture and a wet bear ( it has been raining all week) interesting Textures emphasized by the wet wood.

Shot handheld with my Sony A7 III, Samyang 48 mm at f/1.8, this allowed for some good bokeh.

52 Frames

Black and White was the challenge here.  I took the easy route and converted the bear on the Nicolesy challenge and made it a B&W image

Well that closes this weeks challenge.  Hang with me for the continuing challenges