Tag: photography

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To AI or not to AI…

Artificial intelligence, AI, and its uses have certainly become the focus in today’s world.  The various applications for AI and its technology are seemingly endless, and AI has found itself at the forefront of both personal and business projects.  As a means of seeking answers to questions and providing information, most of the time, it is most efficient, but is it really a replacement for the human brain, critical thinking and problem solving?  In this blog, we will explore just how effective it is when used with photography, graphic design and digital art.

Perhaps the easiest way to begin this discussion is to look at the how, when/where and why AI could be applied in photography, graphic design and digital art.  Starting with the why, is a simple answer because the short answer is that it becomes an effective tool to provide images, backgrounds, clipart, etc. that would be difficult, expensive, impossible, or otherwise, to create.  It is a tool, but it still needs the human brain, critical thinking and problem solving to direct AI in its creation, and the graphic can be pretty incredible at completion.

The when/where answer is also fairly straight forward because when the level of difficulty is too high, the cost is too much, and/or the means just don’t exist, AI quickly becomes a viable solution to producing the necessary images, backgrounds, clipart, etc. to finalize a given composition.  AI has become a staple in allowing photographers, graphic designers and digital artists to do what they do, but it still doesn’t stop there.

The how, lastly, is what ultimately decides whether or not, AI can take over for the human brain, critical thinking and problem solving.  The how behind the AI to yield a functional result is more complicated than the why or when/where it is utilized.  For anyone that has worked with AI, they most likely know that prompts are required and thus, it’s never quite that easy.  In my experience, and also with others that have shared in the discussion, the process of AI that is required can be very time consuming.  Prompts, many times, have to be redirected and refined to obtain the proper result; AI rarely is spot on with its first attempt.  Thus, I would argue that AI is merely a tool because, as of yet, the human brain, critical thinking and problem solving are still necessary components to AI’s success.

Moreover, putting aside creating pieces via AI for photography, graphic design and digital art, tools like content aware fill or the remove tool have become a heck of a long way for retouching images or removing unwanted objects. Thinking about how long it used to take to do certain tasks before these tools had the ability that they do, is unthinkable for me at this point.  I personally haven’t used AI much to create pieces for my work, but I do support other local artists that have created artwork utilizing AI. But at the end of the day, it’s my brain and inspiration that makes the photography, graphic design and digital art that I compose.  I use various tools, various puzzle pieces, to put together the puzzle that becomes my compositions and my style, and I think this point could be more than proven by giving each artist or creator the same 20 pieces to start with, and I doubt seriously that any 2 would be the same even with AI.  At least that’s my opinion.

Ultimately, it’s the individual’s vision that creates photography, graphic design or digital artistry. It’s the individual’s brain, critical thinking and problem solving. Not AI.  I also believe the same can be said when shooting photography. It’s not AI in its inception, but yet, every photograph has been captured. It’s up to us as photographers, graphic designers and digital artists to try to capture or convey things in a unique way. It ultimately comes down to vision and as artists or photographers, our visions have been shaped differently. We all see the world different with or without AI.  AI just becomes a tool like using cameras to create our images.  AI can expand that world and create an opportunity that might not otherwise be available.  Your mind and your vision still create it regardless of if you’re using a camera or AI to do it.  Therefore, it still requires the use of the human brain, critical thinking and problem solving, and it just really boils down to the tools that you want to use to create your work, and again, I think those answers can all be different and that’s ok. It’s ultimately what makes us artists and defines our individual uniqueness and style. So to AI or not AI, it’s an individual decision. You decide.

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Thoughts on Composition in Photography

Composition by definition is the nature of something’s ingredients or constituents; the way in which a whole or mixture is made up. In photography, composition is simply how the elements are arranged. Elliott Erwitt, an advertising and documentary photographer that’s known for his black & white candid photos of ironic and absurd situations within everyday settings, says that composition in photography has little to do with the things you see, and [rather] everything to do with how you see them, you either see them or you don’t, and the rest of photography is merely academic, in that anyone can learn to take a picture, but the true art of photography lies in how you organize what you see.

So, what separates photographers apart, or anyone who picks up a camera for that matter, when we all see the same things? I, too, have to agree that it’s how we see the world, our unique perspective, if you will, and it’s ultimately, how we frame and compose those things in our minds because there probably isn’t a picture that hasn’t been taken at one time or another. Thus, as a professional photographer, it becomes not only our job, but our true mission to see and frame the world differently, to create unique compositions, and in doing so, our work, our portfolios, should tell that story in a way that it simply hasn’t been told before. Photographic composition is truly what should not only set us apart, but be fundamentally key in our work.

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To be or not to be in Full-Color… that is the QUESTION!

In photography, an image can be shot or post-processed in either full-color or monochromatic, but which is the best option? Granted there are some images that achieve their impact by the use of full-color, like a sunrise or sunset, since they typically achieve their beauty in the colors of the sunrise or sunset, but what about other images, should they be shot or post-processed in full-color or monochromatic? Ultimately, many times to shoot or post-process in full-color or monochromatic depends on whether or not the client is open to the possibility of monochromatic images, but also a few other factors that need to be considered in making the decision.

First and foremost, an image does not have to be black & white or sepia toned to be monochromatic because a monochromatic image by definition is an image that utilizes only one color, and only tints and tones of that single color. Moreover, in this photographer’s opinion, an image does not always require the use of full-color to give it impact, and in fact, some images can be much more powerful in monochromatic than full-color. Again, a sunrise or sunset many times will be the exception to the rule, but other images can actually lose their impact with the use of full-color because the use of full-color can actually result in a distraction from the photographer’s intent, and the subject matter of the image itself. In this case, by eliminating full-color from an image and thus, simplifying the image by shooting or post-processing in monochromatic, the removal of full-color from an image can actually place the viewer’s focus on the subject matter itself, and the result can be especially important in portraits, as well as other genres of photography.

Secondly, another primary consideration for shooting or post-processing in monochromatic, is the emotions, mood and atmosphere that can be captured in an image. Through the use of the tints and tones of a single color in conjunction with the image’s composition, light, textures and details, a monochromatic image can really prove to be more power than that of a full-color image, because it moves the viewer’s eye through the image by highlighting and the use of shadows in certain areas of the image, and in doing so, can even isolate the highlighted areas to make them stand out that much more. Thus, a monochromatic image can be much more powerful in conveying the emotion, mood and atmosphere of a subject in a way that a full-color image simply cannot because of the monochromatic’s use of a single color in an image. Another consideration with regards to the emotion and mood of the image, is the emotion and mood that is associated with various colors. For example, the color red is associated with love or anger, the color blue, sadness, the color yellow, vibrancy, the color green, growth, etc., and the use of each in an image yields a different emotion or mood, a different feeling in the image.

In conclusion, it is this photographer’s opinion, that the monochromatic image can many times be more powerful than a full-color image because its’ simplicity of using a single color and the tints and tones of that color, the emotional impact that can be achieved through the shadows and highlights of that color, and the actual color selection itself, results in the viewer’s eye being directed to the subject matter and the photographer’s intent. This in no way discounts a powerful, full-color image, but rather answers the question of whether an image is to be full-color or not to be full-color, monochromatic, and more importantly, the belief that this photographer maintains in that an image does not have to be full-color to be powerful, and in many situations, monochromatic images can be more powerful, especially in portraits!

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philosophy 101

In a world where everyone has a camera, and where everyone is a “photographer”, why do you even need a professional photographer, much less hire one?  Because anyone can take a photograph, but not everyone can capture a moment, not everyone can capture a memory.

Photography, and the art of photography, are so much more than just taking a photograph.  It’s recording time, it’s writing a story, and it’s documenting a moment in time by incorporating the knowledge and skills of photography, it’s the art of the composition that’s used to achieve and make an image that not just anyone  can create.  It’s just not as simple as taking a photograph.

At Rachelle R Photography, my photography work is based on a different perspective, a unique vision.  A perspective and vision that’s built on over 25 years as a professional artist, a bachelor’s degree in Architecture, my experience as a graphic designer, and my knowledge as a photographer.

It’s seeing the world and composing images, spaces and moments of time, through that unique vision and perspective that ultimately, sets me apart from other photographers.

Architecture is said to be the mother of all arts because one can physically walk and  fully experience a space.  In photography, one obviously cannot walk and physically experience that moment in time again, but through the art of photography, we can emotionally experience the space and moment in time the image was taken by recording the emotion, by telling the story, and capturing the moment through the image’s overall composition.  Through photography and the art of photography, we can preserve the memory, and we can build legacies in the memories that we cherish.

So not just any photograph, but rather an everlasting memory.