Photography Surrogate with Midjourney AI

[Jack Dahlgren]

I spent some time on a project with Refik Anadol who is an artist who works with AI. He characterizes his work as the dreams of machines. For photographers who think of photography as documentation or representation this is the opposite of what they want. But for those who see images as a way to unleash inner thoughts or to expand our perspective beyond what we normally see, it can be a powerful tool.

I fall into the second category (and of course there are dozens of other perspectives on what photography “is” so I’m simplifying greatly). These works resonate with us because they are based on what the machine has been exposed to, the images it has ingested and the stories it has been told.

Like Michael, I find it makes me think harder about the nature of life and illusion. And while for some it will just be a funny party trick, I think there will be continued serious work and thought coming out of this. It is worth considering how it relates to some earlier photographic efforts like those of Man Ray and others who took photography beyond the landscape and portrait.

[Michael Erlewine]

I find Midjourney AI graphics limited but useful. I blog to around 10,000 folks almost every day and most of my blogs are about concepts, mostly dharma or spiritually oriented. Midjourney is not good at figure illustrations, but can be made, with work, to obey. I often need illustrations to go with concepts, so that folks get a sense or some feeling for the ideas. For example, here is one illustration for monks and meditating that is useful for me done with Midjourney.

Here is another about a 'hall of mirrors' also a Midjourney piece. This is how I use this software.

[MFloyd]

Thx Michael. Very interesting. Definitely on my watch list.