Paragraphica (context-to-image camera) by Bjørn Karmann

[pvdhaar]

Yes, I'm old and grouchy, but is anyone else getting really tired of this sort of nonsense?

What's not to like about people exploring new concepts? This one is thought provoking; when I get my prints back, I sometimes think "was it really like this, that's not what I though it looked like?". Here it's taken even a step further. For sure it's not really what it is at the precise moment you press the so called shutter, but does the final image match your expectation of the scene better or worse?

 

[joe bosak]

Yes, at very least you'll know it definitely wasn't what you saw. But I agree, thought provoking indeed!

 

[KoNickon]

Sorry, what "it" should look like? What's the "it"? Just trying to understand this thread! 🙂

 

[Pál_K]

Sorry, what "it" should look like? What's the "it"? Just trying to understand this thread! 🙂

My “photo” here ostensibly shows Gig Harbor, Washington. If you search for images on the internet, you’ll see what it really looks like (on the one sunny day of the year).

For comparison, later this evening I will try to find the photo I made with an M6 TTL and 35/2 Summicron from the exact same spot.

 

[dct]

I'm still trying to digest what the goal of this thread (or the solution it points to) is. What is the use case of such a device (or just an app)? Don't I have it already in several location tools on the phone? What is the added value here?
Maybe some one here got it already.

 

[joe bosak]

Haha I see it's now $2 for 36 photos, first one free though (looks nothing like where I am for what that's worth, no hills here for a start).

 

[Pál_K]

I'm still trying to digest what the goal of this thread (or the solution it points to) is. What is the use case of such a device (or just an app)? Don't I have it already in several location tools on the phone? What is the added value here?
Maybe some one here got it already.

Perhaps I’m totally wrong, but I think the idea is to capture the “essence“ of the subject rather than the actual subject. For a location, it shows not the exact scenery, but a distillation of all the components of the scene arranged into a new image.

 

[KoNickon]

OK, I think I maybe have it -- so this device will enhance? replace? supplement? a picture you take yourself? Kind of as if I didn't take a picture at all, but just bought picture postcards? 🙂

 

[raydm6]

Haha I see it's now $2 for 36 photos.

Wow! Didn't see that. Oh well, $2 a roll. Not bad 🤣

 

[Retro-Grouch]

Perhaps I’m totally wrong, but I think the idea is to capture the “essence“ of the subject rather than the actual subject.

Did Edward Weston have a hand in this? He was spouting this sort of stuff 80 years ago. 😉

 

[Pál_K]

Did Edward Weston have a hand in this? He was spouting this sort of stuff 80 years ago. 😉

Weston… I thought he was pretty good, but then for some reason he started doing food photography.

 

[Vince Lupo]

Couldn't figure out where else to put this, so we'll try here.....

I tried my hand at the new PhotShop 'beta' AI-generation feature last night. Nothing exciting, but definitely changes the 'flavour' of this photo.

Original photo (with apologies to my cousin Jimmy -- BTW I did show him the results!).

Cousin Jimmy by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

AI-generated background -- the command was 'disco with a bunch of people'. PhotoShop supposedly goes into the 'cloud' to find options that match the command.

Disco Jimmy by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

Not bad, a bit scary actually. Now could I have found that background somewhere online and just did a copy and paste? Maybe. Plus I had the original source material from the original photo and maybe being black and white helps. But it seems to blend it in pretty well, with the exception of maybe around Jim's ears. But overall not bad. Hopefully I won't be using the feature very much!