Using Photoshop Beta:

Experimentation:

Editing St Malo Images:

Image 1:

Using generative fill:

I have experimented using AI in Photoshop Beta, starting with using one of Will Lukeman’s photos and adding natural scenes to create a supernatural scene.

I began by using Neural Filters to create a basic edit and get the jungle look.

I then used generative fill to add the larger subjects; birds, dinosaur etc.

Original Image

Process

Final outcome

I created a few more images using AI with the same techniques after my first trail with Lukeman’s photo, but I used my own photos for the rest.

Generative Fill

I used generative fill to extend my imager. I first extended the back layer using the crop tool. I then selected the image and inverted the selection. I then clicked generative fill.

Final outcomes

However, the AI doesn’t always create an image that works. I attempted to get an extension for this image multiple times but it wasn’t able to create one.

For two days I took on a role at the Jersey Evening Post working with the photographer David Ferguson to produce images suited to the news story and fit for the paper and website.

For example, Island music had new ownership so i photographed Paul Sharkey, the new owner, around his shop.

These images can be found in Connect magazine

Here are some other images i took:

I also helped David take pictures of a local chocolatier however due to confined space we had to work around getting the angles right which posed as a challenge. This meant we couldn’t fit some of the equipment in the space so had to improvise without a tripod and other helpful equipment that would’ve made the process easier.

I also photographed the teacher strikes that took place in Jersey’s town square. This included images of the crowd that were striking with their banners and signs, speakers and the politicians. Although this task was interesting it wasn’t easy, the large crowds made it difficult to find a good position for shooting whilst also staying out of the way of the film crew. This meant I had to strategically position myself in order to get any worthwhile shots.

After the strike had finished we went back to the JEP office and i selected and made some small adjustments to the images. Once happy with the outcomes they were sent to another department and formatted into the newspaper as seen below:

I also shot a few images for a hidden identity messaging someone to buy drugs for a news article they were writing.

Overall, I found this experience really interesting and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to work alongside some of these talented people as I was able to learn a lot from them and see first hand how photography can be used as a job/career.

Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French photographer who was seen as the ‘father of journalism’ and candid photography. Taking interest in recording human activity, he photographed the ‘everyday’ moments. Examining his influential publications, The Decisive Moment is seen as one of the most major photobooks of the twentieth century. Robert Capa described it as “a Bible for photographers.”. The book was not originally called The Decisive Moment, but was named Images à la Sauvette (“images on the run”). Little did Bresson know that this would latter become his motto, defining his popular work.

Henri was born in Chanteloup-en-Brie, Seine-et-Marne, and built up a great fascination with painting in the style of Surrealism. He discovered the Leica after spending a year in the Ivy Coast in 1932. The Lecia became his most frequently used camera, and influenced him to start his life-long career photography. His first ever exhibition was at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York in 1933. After , in 1940, he was taken as a prisoner of war but managed to escape on his third attempt three years later. He then joined an underground organisation to help prisoners and other escapes. He filmed the documentary Le Retour (The Return) after he photographed Paris’ liberation in 1945.

He travelled in the East for three years, however in 1952 he returned to Europe and published his first book The Decisive Moment. He stated “For me the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity, the master of the instant which, in visual terms, questions and decides simultaneously. In order to ‘give a meaning’ to the world, one has to feel involved in what one frames through the viewfinder. This attitude requires concentration, discipline of mind, sensitivity, and a sense of geometry. It is by economy of means that one arrives at simplicity of expression.”

He created the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson in Paris with his wife and daughter to preserve his work, which he won multiple awards for. He later passed away in 2004.

Task

1. Select two images that have manipulated truth, one historical using camera technology, one contemporary using AI technology as examples to use in your essay
2. Research history, theory and context of both images thoroughly and make notes.
3. Read several sources (both online and on paper) to acquire sufficient knowledge and understanding
4. Provide a critical perspective by referencing different points of view from sources.
5. Select at least 2 quotes per image from sources you have read that is relevant to your essay question.
6. Use Harvard System of Referencing and provide a bibliography
7. Use key terminology specific to art and photography from the matrix/ sheet below.

plan

Hypothesis: Photography and Truth: Can a photograph lie?

Opening quote: to set the scene choose an appropriate quote from key texts or source that you have read and understood. Or select something Will Lakeman said in class discussion around ethics using AI in photography.

Introduction (250 words): Describe how photography from its invention as a new technology in 1839 was viewed as a threat to traditional artforms such as painting and drawing. Provide an overview of why photography (like all other art forms) is an illusion and a representation of reality (reflect on your essay earlier on the Origin of Photography). Explain what AI is as a new technology, and how it is already part of lives, give examples (Google, speech recognition, generative AI etc). Discuss both human and societal benefits and potential dangers of AI, again use examples such as Geoffrey Linton resigning from Google to bring awareness, or Sam Altman’s (CEO of OpenAI) being questioned by USA congress. Select one quote by either Linton or Altman and comment (either for or against). Introduce the two images that you have chosen as examples of the above.

Paragraph 1 (250-500 words): Describe how photography in the past (before the digital age) could be manipulated, both in-camera and in the darkroom (eg. reflect on Pictorialism’s use of chemicals and scratching surfaces in distorting images and earlier masking/ collaging technique sin the darkroom.) Provide an example of an image (see case studies below) from history of photography where the truth was distorted. Describe circumstances, context, different points of view and new discoveries or theories around the origin or meaning of your chosen image. Use either direct quote, paraphrasing or summary from sources and comment (for or against). Make sure you provide your own interpretation of the image too.

Paragraph 2 (250 -500 words): Describe how photography now since the digital age has been altering the truth from faking images in-camera to using image manipulation software, such as Photoshop. Provide an example of an image (see case studies below) produced using artificial intelligence that looks ‘real’, but are in fact a digital construct. Provide analysis of how generative AI such as DreamStudio, Midjourney or DALL E 2 has increased our ability to create new images that has no relationship with either photography or the truth. Use same formula as above and use either direct quote, paraphrasing or summary from sources and comment (for or against). Make sure you provide your own interpretation of the image too.

Conclusion (250 words): Compare and contrast how historical images in the past and digital images made today, using new technology such as AI, have altered reality and distorted truth. Refer back to the essay question and write a conclusion where you summarise in your own words both similarities and differences between your two image examples. Conclude with a statement on how you envisage the future of photography and AI image-making might change our perception of reality, and attitude towards truth.

Bibliography: List all the sources that you have identified in alphabetical order. Apart from listing literature you must also list all other sources e.g. websites/online sources, Youtube/ DVD/TV.

Quotes and referencing: You MUST reference some of the sources that you have used either by incorporating direct quotes, paraphrasing or summarising of an idea, theory or concept, or historical fact.

Essay

Can a photograph lie?

From when photography was invented, around the time of 1839, it was seen as a threat to traditional art forms because it could capture the world with much greater accuracy as well as being quicker than traditional paintings or drawings could. Photography is also viewed as an illusion and or representation of reality due to it creating the impression of depth, texture and motion even though it’s a flat image. We as photographers also have the ability to alter and manipulate said images making them appear different to what the reality of the image would look like. Moving onto more modern implications to photography, artificial intelligence has begun to help us in the aspect of altering our images. A photographer by the name of Will Lakeman also manages to include AI in his projects, he does this by inputting his own photo into an AI altering software and then it manipulates his image based around the prompt he gives it. From the very first type of artificial intelligence being created in 1951, it has developed and changed so much that it has now become a regular feature in our everyday lives, from using Alexa in our homes to simply googling anything. While AI certainly brings around many positives for society, such as being able to have information or communicate with each other at the press of a button, it also brings around a possibility of danger. For example, with AI practically providing free labour, many people will be let out of jobs if AI can replace them since it would be more cost efficient for employers.  

In the past, photographs were usually altered using what is known as a dark room. This would be a dimly lit area that would be used to develop images. The photographer would take their photos using silver halide light sensitive film in their cameras and would then process the film and use a machine called the enlarger to project light through the negative onto light sensitive silver halide paper to then make the image into a print. This was a very fine process and had to be done extremely carefully, often taking around 3 to 7 days in total to complete. The image above was taken in 1983 by Steve McCurry, an American photographer. In his picture we are able to see the train and people as the focus point of the image while the Taj Mahal in the background acts as a background. We can also see the lighting of and how sharp the image is on the whole, even the movement and steam being emitted. It is likely that McCurry altered the image someway using a dark room in order to get the picture in focus and more saturated and likely used the method of using a dark room due to the time period the image was taken in. However, the picture itself has some good photographic techniques such as the use of having a focus point. The picture is currently selling for £8,800 and is being featured among his other work regarding ‘social issues’. Currently, there are 44 pieces of work up for sale ranging between £3,000 to £15,000. 

Photographs now days can be easily manipulated by multiple different software’s as well as by artificial intelligence, creating a problem for modern news outlooks since we can’t tell what’s true or what’s false. An example of how easily we can mistake fake images for real images would be in the photo shown above. This image was created by Boris Eldagsen using artificial intelligence. He entered the photo into the Sony world photography awards, a popular photography competition, and ended up winning first place. He declined the reward, however, admitting to having used an artificial intelligence software called DALL-E 2. Currently, there are many types of AI software’s which are used to either alter or create images, a few examples being dream studio, midjourney, etc. They work by you writing a descriptive prompt for the AI to follow, with it then searching through its database for any correlating images already there, then creating a new piece based around the images it found. The very fact that the images AI produces can be so realistic brings about more problems than benefits since you would now be able to forge fake images of anyone to ruin their reputation or even depict them doing something illegal. According to Will Lakeman, he said that ‘Artificial intelligence isn’t actually intelligent’, to which I have to agree. Since the software is only taking inspiration from the work of others and following the prompt you have put into it, it’s not thinking or acquiring knowledge which is needed in order for something to be deemed intelligent.  

In conclusion, historical images and editing processes in the past have changed drastically compared to modern day versions, specifically from the development of AI software’s and how easily they can distort the truth. Referring back to the question, ‘can a photograph lie?’, it is my firm belief that yes, a photograph can lie. We have seen countless times though social media of certain images distorting the truth, even being done by high-ranking people, for example Stalin who would edit out certain people from photos with him after he was no longer aligned or allied with them. While there are some similarities between the past and present on how we alter our images, such as what we choose to edit (a.k.a lighting, cropping, etc) the main difference in my opinion would be the time it takes to alter said images. Now days, editing a photo is very simple and can be done in a matter of minutes however, historically it would take days on end and was a very careful procedure. In the future, I believe AI will become even more advanced causing the AI we use for photography to advance as well. Currently, there is a device in the works that would be inputted into our brains, supposedly allowing us to do everything we can do on a phone but by simply using our minds. If this were to happen and work, it would most likely affect photography negatively since we would be able to ‘save and replay memories’ in our head, making photography somewhat irrelevant.  

Bibliography: 

https://www.tomorrowsworldtoday.com/2023/04/24/ai-generated-image-wins-world-renowned-photography-competition/#:~:text=Photographer%20Boris%20Eldagsen’s%20image%20titled,created%20using%20DALL%2DE%202.

https://narrato.io/blog/what-are-ai-image-generators-how-do-they-work/#:~:text=Switch%20camera-,How%20do%20AI%20image%20generators%20work%3F,number%20of%20image%2Dtext%20pairs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence

https://www.stevemccurry.com/

Steve McCurry

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/tech/2023/06/09/musk-neuralink-brain-chips-fda-human-trials/70299875007/#:~:text=During%20November%202022%20event%2C%20which,said%20at%20a%202020%20event.

I think these are my best images because they are all focused well and edited to truly enhance the best features of light in each. I think they are all interesting and cinematographic in their own ways and I like that they seem to tell a story.

“Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004), a French photographer who is considered to be one of the creators of photojournalism and masters of candid photography. He sought to capture the ‘everyday’ in his photographs and took great interest in recording human activity.

As a reporter and co-founder of the Magnum photography agency, Cartier-Bresson accepted his responsibility to supply information to a world in a hurry. He documented the liberation of Paris, the collapse of the Nationalist regime in China, Gandhi’s funeral and the partitioning of Berlin.

Cartier-Bresson helped develop the street photography style that has influenced generations of photographers that followed, his work has such a large impact and influence on street photographers because his work was influenced by Surrealism.

The Decisive Moment

The Decisive Moment, Henri Cartier-Bresson’s influential publication, is widely considered to be one of the most important photobooks of the twentieth century. Pioneering for its emphasis on the photograph itself as a unique narrative form, The Decisive Moment was described by Robert Capa as “a Bible for photographers.” Originally titled Images à la Sauvette (“images on the run”) in the French, the book was published in English with a new title, The Decisive Moment, which unintentionally imposed the motto which would define Cartier-Bresson’s work.