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**Some comments have been transferred from an older version of the site.**
A few years ago, when the magazine was being created, I somewhat hastily suggested the term "GRAPHIC IMAGE ORDIMAGE" to translate an image created by AI. Reflection has helped to arrive at a better definition:
The word PHOTOGRAPHY was invented around 1839 from the Greek words "Phos" meaning Light and Graphe meaning drawing, writing.
If we want to stick with Greek declensions:
The image produced by AI remains an image not created by light but by thought, which gives orders to the machine in order to materialize this thought into graphic reality.
In Greek, "phronema" means to use one's spirit, one's thought, hence the idea of a variation: PRONEOGRAPHY, not to be confused with PHONEOGRAPHY, the practice of photography with a telephone, which I prefer to call PHOTOPHONE…
A bit too complex for everyday use.
By turning to Latin, everything becomes simpler and more obvious: ORDINOGRAPHIE or ORDIGRAPHIE
Latin: Ordinator, meaning: one who regulates, one who puts in order, one who orders…
This definition of an AI-created image seems to me the most suitable and universal, applicable to all graphic arts created by AI.
I suggest you proceed to the vote! Best regards.
I appreciate the diversity of talent represented in your magazine…but for me, a photo magazine contains photos, and I'm not shocked that ten or so distinct pages present AI images because we have to keep up with technical developments, but I still believe that if the distinction isn't made, it's an exponential regression that's coming.
That's the way the world is.
I've been reading your magazine since the beginning, don't change a thing, keep it up!
A top-quality issue! I'm a fan of Alexis de Vigan's portraits
Lots of great projects. I hope to participate in one someday, thank you. It's magnificent.
A very interesting magazine, for the variety of its content and its discoveries.
With its beautiful layout, ample space for photos with minimal text, and a wonderful diversity in styles, themes, and photographic techniques, this magazine is something I really appreciate.
What a discovery this issue #17 of OPENEYE is, a real treat!
Bravo for all this work. My favorites are "BeOriginal BeYou" and "Beyond Appearances," the first for its powerful impact and the second for its contemplative quality. 🙂 Thank you for this discovery, which I will now follow… Sincerely, Bernard Allouche
Hard work of quality
Hard work of quality
I want to congratulate everyone who contributes to the success of OPENEYE. Your passion and dedication are reflected in every publication. Well done!
A quality magazine.
It is always with great pleasure that I discover the magazine and peruse each page. The quality of the images and the authorship are excellent. Photography is a vast and wonderful tool for expression, and this magazine pays perfect tribute to it.
A Breath of Fresh Air for our eyes!!!
Thank you to everyone – the artists, the journalists, the writers – everything is of exceptional quality, and this initiative is incredibly beneficial!
I am pleased with this Openeye initiative, which will allow us to keep an open mind.
Goods.
A wonderful site intended for highly experienced photographers.
Hello,
Wonderful site but let's be honest it's still intended for very experienced photographers.
Amateurs are not up to the task of competing with such artists.
Thank you for this wonderful share.
Yves
Magazine No. 18.
Bravo for the diversity and quality presented. A great initiative, "China with two faces," and personally, a wonderful discovery, "Pascale LANDER."
Congratulations !
I have just finished browsing/scanning the new issue and I want to congratulate you.
It is magnificent, very rich and contains many things that catch my eye and interest me – all I have to do is find the time to go back, it should be soon.
I even learned there of the recent passing of Frank Horwath, which I was unaware of, and it shook me a little because I liked him. I hope you will be able to dedicate a beautiful portfolio to him in a future issue.
Well done, thank you and have a good day.
Jerry
A sublime number!
It's beautiful !!!
A sublime number!
Congratulations to the whole team !
Thank you Pierre, that feels good.
Fan of the work of Stéphane Gladieu and Stéphane Gouin
Have a lovely day and see you soon with great pleasure
Sophie
Thank you so much for the magazine.
Receive my greetings, a big thank you for the magazine including beautiful photos, rich in ideas!
Good reception.
Gilbert
Thank you for this interesting edition. A brief moment of relaxation in this particularly sad and stressful world we live in.
Bàv.
Legrand Jean Luc, Belgium, EFIAP/D1, MPSA, Roc-Photo non-profit organization and European Photographers collective
Thank you!
Thank you for this breath of fresh air, with your review.
Thank you for introducing us to young talents.
Thank you for helping us rediscover certain photographers.
Thank you for giving us hope that tomorrow will be like before.
Thank you all and safe travels.
Lionel
I really wanted to thank you for this wonderful feature on the North in issue 19…
That makes me extremely happy.
And every time I discover amazing photographers there…Special mention for the work of Stéphan Gladieu and the genius of Eric Vassal…
Yours sincerely, and have a lovely day…
Stéphane
Hello,
I just discovered your magazine.
I only have one word: top!
Thank you for this gem!
Congratulations on the quality and richness of your magazine.
Yours.
Christian
Well done for the quality of your work and investment in sharing with us the most beautiful images of the moment among the millions that are published every day.
Congratulations
Frederic
Congratulations!
Congratulations on these wonderful contributions!
Creativity first, technique second
Thank you for your web magazine, it showcases photographers and their work, it highlights creativity rather than technique, which is often lacking.
I love
Personally, I think the magazine is perfect.
Proposal for rereading past issues
Yes, that's a very good idea. Sometimes when your new issue comes out, people don't have time to look at it... and then they might forget because of all the email notifications... and that's a shame.
So yes, encouraging us to go back is good, and even if we've already seen it, we always rediscover something!
Hello
An old-timer, shooting on film, but!
I love this new generation of photographers/artists who use cameras and software as tools for creativity.
Thank you for giving them the opportunity to express themselves.
I am against redundancy, especially since you can easily review the old issues on the website.
The original, not the original, function of photography.
General thoughts on photography: I know, it's probably very old-fashioned to say that the original function of photography is simply to capture reality. There aren't many photographers left who are content with that; it's undoubtedly more prestigious to create a staged subject or an abstract image. Let's leave that privilege to painting! And let's restore photography to its original purpose.
Contemporary memory.
Thank you for the continuous enrichment of my contemporary photographic knowledge. Diversity and originality are the strength of your magazine! Most magazines only focus on creators from the West, but here we also have the East. Thank you!
I consult them with pleasure and curiosity with each new release.
A very comprehensive and high-quality magazine.
Issue number 21 of Openeye is captivating.
It is a real pleasure to discover these photographers/artists who know how to showcase their creations.
I never tire of picking up this edition, just as I never tire of revisiting previous issues.
Bravo to all these artists and congratulations to the entire team of image enthusiasts!
Superb edition.
This is a truly beautiful edition celebrating the magazine's fourth anniversary, which puts the younger generation in the spotlight while also acknowledging its talented predecessors.
Super interesting.
I'm not a fan of "conceptual" photography and I'm more drawn to old-school humanist photography, but I must admit that what your magazine offers is worth a look. I might even come to appreciate "conceptual" photography in the end.
Conceptual.
A bit of a letdown for this issue, which leans more towards conceptual photography where aesthetics and emotions matter little. But to each their own.
Great newspaper
Very varied and gives young talents a chance while maintaining quality!
Issue number 22 is incredibly rich and diverse.
Each issue of Openeye showcases quality artists, talented artists
We are amazed by the richness, the quality of the work, and the dedication of everyone involved.
OPENEYE showcases photographers and their creativity.
Always a beautiful diversity in styles, reports and of course photographs.
Always so interesting.
I would summarize OpenEye as the only magazine that shows what others don't, and all this without being too beholden to brands. I'd like to take this opportunity to submit my idea of opening OpenEye to amateur photographers, with your feedback welcome. And above all, no photos taken with smartphones (this is just my opinion).
Thank you
Great
I love this magazine, well done to the whole team!
OPENEYE number 28: a real treat!
As usual, OPENEYE, by my friends Philippe Litzler and Pierre Evrard, is a true delight where images reign supreme and demonstrate that photography is an art form in its own right. A careful reading of the latest issue of this remarkable publication provides, if any further proof were needed, irrefutable evidence of this.
Well done Philippe, well done Pierre, well done to the rest of the team who allow us this moment of intense pleasure for those who love art and photography.
Worship !
Thank you for what you do. Your magazine has now become a cult classic in the field of photography!
Thank you
Thank you for this lovely gift, the magazine is great!
Thank you for sharing.
Your magazine looks really cool!
Photography is like love: a single word to express so many things, from the most sordid to the most magnificent.
Good evening Philippe,
I want to thank you and congratulate you on your latest editorial. It perfectly reflects what some of us are thinking. Everything they write or mention, word for word, is in your text. Unfortunately, while every detail you mention is absolutely accurate, the entire photography world couldn't care less. It's worth noting that the new world of photography is made up of a rapidly growing crowd… but without any photographers.
In a strange morass, we helplessly watch as the few exceptional festivals that justified and sustained the discovery of photographic tools are swallowed up. A mass of exhibitions with explanatory texts, essential for understanding the pinned images, are installed across the planet to display images. But Photography is like Love: a single word to express so many things, from the most sordid to the most magnificent.
I won't keep you any longer; I'm off to the Aubrac region, where I've encountered a touch of wildly authentic charm in the past, and where I fear I'll find the first signs of decay. Your welcome re-enchantment isn't limited to the now-defunct Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie. If you ever happen to be passing through, it would be a pleasure to have a drink together.
Good week.
Magnificent number
Hello,
Magnificent issue! It's a feast for the eyes!! Thank you for introducing us to these photographers!!!
cordially
Well done on this review!
Great job on this magazine! I wasn't familiar with it, and I'm going to enjoy discovering it, especially since I'm a photographer and I lead photography workshops. I invite you, in turn, to discover a preview of my work on [website/platform name]. http://www.thomassymonds.com Au It was a pleasure to exchange ideas about photography together, Thomas
Your magazine is a great source of inspiration.
Thank you very much for your magazine, which I find very rich and innovative in its concept and format.
I am a photography enthusiast and amateur photographer, and your magazine is a great source of inspiration!
some wonderful discoveries
Superb magazine, some great discoveries!
camera = tool for artistic creation
This February/March 2023 issue (30) is truly exceptional: it demonstrates that the camera, whatever its format, is more than just a photocopier of reality; it becomes a creative tool in its own right. It is the painter's brush, the sculptor's chisel, the musician's violin, and software, AI or otherwise, paint, patina, or improvisation… Through it, the artist's vision, their psychology of the moment, and their interpretation or dreams are expressed, either at the time of shooting or (or even in addition…) in post-processing. It is a formidable tool for an artist's studio. Photography has become an art of expression and creation like any other, one that transcends and complements the strict representation of reality, which nevertheless remains magnificently essential as a testament to the present moment.
AI today and tomorrow,
AI… I don't understand much of it, except that it doesn't reassure me.
I just see that photographers, visual artists, and creators will be devoured by smileless humanoids. Reading the comments, I feel this shadow hanging over our dreams.
If this is an evolution towards more creations, where are they leading us, Philippe?
This is not photography
The pictures are nice, but it's not photography. Photography is the technique of capturing images using light. That's obviously not the case here :=)
Better than all those ads promising a better life out of Paris 🙂
Will computer graphics become the great-grandchild of photography? Are we, all things considered, beggars in the face of these perfect entities and menacing clones that don't exactly make us want to devour them?
Welcome to such an ugly world…
About AI
Photography has evolved from glass plates to digital files and now to AI (linked to the digital file). It's up to photographers to know how to use it, while coexisting with the entire past. Personally, the series presented here resonated with me (perhaps more so than the magnificent sunset with its altered sky, seen thousands of times, which is probably no longer even photography).
As for the magazine: fantastic!!
Goodbye to photography…
After creating images with Photoshop, we discover AI.
For me, it's about creating images using computer tools, and it's not the image printed on film as in the creation of a photograph. It's certainly beautiful, but this type of image shouldn't be classified as a "photograph."
Also, be careful not to display this type of image with art photos.
I'm going to follow this more closely…
Thank you OPENEYE for your magazine!
Art yes, Photography no
A photograph should be taken by its author, not by a program. I would like to point out that the Photographic Society of America shares this view. This in no way detracts from the artistic qualities of the works presented.
We'll have to make do.
Artificial intelligence in the world of graphic arts represents a small revolution that raises many questions: what is art, what is an artist, who is the author of a work, etc.? Yet, art history teaches us that all innovations have been assimilated over time and even correspond to temporal markers. The same will be true of AI. The fact remains that algorithms will improve, images will increasingly resemble real photographs, and all of this will cast doubt on the reality of what the images show us. I also think that the best and most creative will stand out (those who don't just copy prompts and modify them slightly). In the end, we'll have to deal with it.
Definition to be defined
Photography with AI is no longer photography, but it's part of it. Etymologically, or in terms of the act of photographing? When there are no longer any rules, then the rules evolve. I think the question could be, regardless of the artifice, is this photograph (with AI) a true representation of reality? If the answer is no, then it's not a photograph but the representation of a photographic style. If the answer is yes, then it becomes a photographic drawing. Personally, I don't like AI, but used in retouching, why not accept it? It can also be practical for rough sketches when creating a real photograph.
great work
Great work. AI software is making its mark with some truly impressive results. These photos are intriguing, showcasing a highly developed imagination. I gave it a good score for technique and creativity, but these photos make me uneasy; I'll go see more on OpenEye. Your magazine offers a fresh perspective compared to professional publications that showcase professionals for professionals. OpenEye presents all styles, and I really appreciate that.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence in photography will develop according to our desire to see or do like others.
Many photographers I know have rushed to adopt AI to "be in the know." AI for manipulating photos doesn't bother me simply because I don't subscribe to it, and I refuse to endorse its usefulness, even for creative purposes.
We are still "free" to make our own choices…
The 3-star rating refers to the debate on this issue
A major "opening"
The world of photography has changed a lot in 50 years, at the time when I could finally materialize my passion for still images.
I read your magazine every issue and I must congratulate you on your boldness, but also on giving space to photographers as daring as they are talented. Photography has changed in that now, with the means of communication available, everyone with a budget thinks they're a professional, and that's unfortunate. Just because I use the same brushes as Picasso doesn't mean I have his talent and creativity. That's what your magazine does: raise the bar for creativity and originality. Thank you.
A new deal
Whatever the reservations or enthusiasm it inspires, AI is a new reality that will have to be integrated, and David Raichman seems to me to have laid out the stakes very well. Even if it will inevitably have a major impact on the way creative professions operate, we mustn't lose sight of the fact that it's just a new tool that opens up new fields but doesn't call into question the added value of the artist, whose taste, intentions, and choices are the essence of their role. It will simply accelerate efficiency and propel creative processes into unprecedented stratospheres. It's a decisive new step in the development of digital media as an ever-expanding and more subtle extension of the functions of our nervous system. I don't see it killing photography or even opposing it, because what would it feed on then?
Artificial intelligence, not even scared!
Artificial intelligence could be compared to electronic music. Electronic music also uses elements (loops) created by artists, remixing them to create a new work. Similarly, in the Middle Ages, rhetoricians and monks endlessly copied previous texts, adding their own commentary and signing them with their names. This is part of the creative process; creation is generally based on what came before, it doesn't start from scratch. AI is a further step. Returning to the electronic music comparison, there would be no humans on stage, no DJs mixing, only computers. But who programmed the artificial intelligence and algorithms, and who uses them? Humans. Artificial intelligence will not replace artistic creation; it will become one tool among many. Let's also remember the fear that photography inspired in painters in its early days!
This topic is relevant today; it reveals the future, the possible ethics.
Your magazine raises topics, questions, our era, where everyone has something to say, to think, to participate.
And the topic of AI is a major debate, because what can we do, and how far does ethics go? It must necessarily be addressed in this issue. My opinion is that artificial intelligence must remain in its proper place, and we also still have our consciousness, which is a living, natural being, independent of AI.
Axelle Perrève, of the same name on Youtube.
I am an artist, photographer, poet, philosopher and very animistic.
Artificial intelligence
I really like the graphics, the colors, in short, the quality of these images produced by this AI software.
However, it defies categorization; insofar as the human intervention of the "author" is virtually non-existent: it is not photography, nor even photographic images, and certainly not art (review the definition of art in the Larousse dictionary). What then?
We must absolutely not turn our backs on progress; however, we must be vigilant if its evolution could harm human creativity.
In light of these achievements, I tend to praise the merits of the software designer rather than the user.
Rabelais' prediction is coming true: "Science without conscience is but the ruin of the soul."
David Raichman
These are images, not photographs. This does not detract from the remarkable work of David Raichman.
The ambiguity is generated because they are published in a photo magazine, and it's fortunate that he can do so.
AI isn't so far removed from the human species; without food, we would be poor creators. I like to remember that we definitively became aware that we were living on Earth thanks to a photograph taken from space less than 100 years ago. Without the support of AI, we would still be observing it from mountaintops.
I remain convinced that the greatest danger to man is man himself.
Creativity is there to make us dream, to build, to imagine, to share, to act, to do, AI surely has its place to participate in it.
Christian
Should we only show reality?
Hasn't there always been manipulation through images?
With film it was a bit difficult, with digital it has become accessible to everyone (or almost everyone), the only difference with AI is the (more or less successful) automation of the process.
There will always be photographers who want to show reality and others who will indulge in photographic flights of fancy that can be sublime.
Once AI becomes reliable, it will make this accessible to everyone. Just look at the face generator for unknown people, which has been working well for some time now.
To my knowledge, there is no such document as a "Hippocratic oath" in which photographers commit to showing only reality.
Thank you for this debate.
For my part, I think there will come a time when photography will remain photography and AI will encompass all these productions in Artificial Imagery, yet another art form….
Photography is an art form, while AI is a science.
Film or digital photography is developed, perhaps retouched or not, but fundamentally, it involves taking a picture with a camera. Artificial intelligence, which we're discussing here, produces an image using computer programs and engineering. The process is entirely different, and I'm not making any value judgments about either. But in my opinion, photography is an art (the eighth art, in this case), while the latter is a science, as I've long been convinced that we need to build this bridge between the arts and sciences.
My opinion on the use of AI in image creation, compared to cinema.
A big thank you already for this magazine which I have been reading since its inception.
Regarding AI, let's make a comparison with cinema, which began with good old film. Then special effects were invented, and today we are able to create films entirely using computer programs.
It's a similar story with photography; what I find interesting about David Raichman's approach is that he used his own database of photos to create his work, and Openeye allowed him to showcase it.
AI: Artificial Intelligence VS Artistic Intellect
Before debating artificial intelligence, I would like to mention a few great photographers.
Rinko Kawauchi: A photographer's job involves, among other things, seeing more intensely than others.
Bérénice Abbott: Selecting appropriate image content is the result of a beautiful union between a trained eye and an imaginative mind.
Manuel Alvarez Bravo: As strange as it may seem, many photographers use the eyes of other photographers instead of their own. These photographers are blind.
My humble opinion is that retouching a photo WITHOUT artificial intelligence calls upon our imagination and our personal artistic sense (artistic intellect), it is the final touch of the creator, whether it is exceptional or ordinary, it has the merit of being 100% the creation of its author and not an assembly of a machine (even if we guide the latter by whispering ideas or words to it).
Artificial intelligence creates an image bank sometimes at the expense of the authors (even if the latter have given their consent).
No, for me it's no longer the work of a photographer but simply a partially controlled computer collage. Even if you give words or phrases to the machine, even if it only uses your personal photo library, the result isn't entirely your own work since you've used a third-party artificial manipulation to create it.
Artificial intelligence should be able to help us in areas where a creative advance can be truly beneficial (for example, medical research, technological research, etc.) but not to replace the creative spirit of a photographer.
If I were to use artificial intelligence, it would perhaps be for inspiration, but certainly not to produce the image that it provided me.
To put it simply, ask a painter if he would entrust his brushes to a machine to paint his canvas.
We must not forget that a photo is not only an image but also expressions, of misfortune, of happiness, sometimes of patience, of physical trials and above all it is offering the viewer a message that only the photographer knows how to convey.
This is my current feeling and experience, so I respect everyone's opinions for or against, because every day I learn as much, if not more, from others than from myself, as much from my mistakes as from my successes.
Photography and AI: An “uncanny strangeness” (Freud, 1919)
Debate in Progress:
Photography and AI or the "Uncanny" (Freud, 1919): when it is necessary to disentangle reality, fiction, image, narrative, truth, archive, creativity, techniques…
“For me, photography… is a way of recording the people I meet and the places I frequent, that’s all, and dating them. I absolutely do not claim to be doing avant-garde work…”
I believe that when taking photographs, one must consider that it is the only instrument of instant creation that everyone immediately possesses and whose use can be repeated indefinitely… I think that photography, with rare exceptions, can only be a repetitive, immediate, and daily instrument, like a non-literary journal, a sensor, a recorder. Archiving, therefore… This has a direct connection with time, and with death, of course…
"A photograph conveys a gaze, a situation, a moment, etc." – Denis Roche, *The Disappearance of Fireflies (Reflections on the Photographic Act)*, Seuil/Fiction & Cie, 2016
Artificial intelligence does not exist
Without a doubt, AI doesn't exist; AI is an algorithm, a program we work with. The computing power and sophistication of these programs make them powerful tools, capable of creating fake images and videos. Just as photography is an interpretation of the world, especially black and white photography in a world of color, the use of AI opens new avenues for artistic creation. Even more complex, these avenues open the door to manipulation in news photography and video, and this is precisely where the pitfall lies in these increasingly rapid technological developments when regulations struggle to keep pace.
Great replacement
There is the great replacement of native populations by mass immigration, the great replacement of men and women by gender theory, and now the great replacement of creative and intelligent man by AI!
All three share the same desire of the neo-liberal globalist ideology to make humanity a commodity that can be managed like financial flows and enslaved at will for the happiness of an elite.
Artists who promote AI in art are the avant-garde nihilists of their own demise.
A civilization that replaces human intelligence with AI (even if the latter can have its uses in science for example) becomes a post-human civilization very well illustrated by Michel Houellebecq in "The Possibility of an Island".
opinions on AI
AI is a new art form, validated by a slave, not created by the brain itself. There's no comparison.
What is the creative role of the photographer in the creation of a photograph?
I just typed into the GPT CHAT the consequences of photography with the help of AI and here is its response!
"Photography using artificial intelligence (AI) is a constantly evolving technology that can be used in a variety of ways. In general, the quality of AI-generated photographs is constantly improving and can be very impressive. This can be useful for applications such as restoring old photographs, creating computer-generated images for video games or films, or automatically generating photos for tasks such as object recognition or fraud detection."
However, it is important to note that the creation of photographs by AI also raises ethical and intellectual property questions. For example, the question of who owns the copyright to an AI-generated photograph is not yet clearly defined. Furthermore, the use of AI to create fake or misleading images can have negative consequences for society and public trust.
Ultimately, AI-powered photography has great potential for positive use, but it is important to consider the ethical and social implications of this rapidly evolving technology.
For now, the only problem that bothers me is the role of imagination in this type of photography. It no longer becomes the creator but merely the tool that artificial intelligence uses. I'd say it's a bit like me with Photoshop, but I remain the creator of the final image. On the other hand, I admit that in some photos the results are stunning.
AI: Between Fascination and Concern
AI is both fascinating and worrying, revealing of our society which rejects patience, while photography is the very symbol of stopping, of contemplation.
Immediacy, the speed of proposals, the insatiable appetite for images take precedence: I want to see this film, I decide to watch it now, I have an idea, I want to visualize it right away!
But AI is fascinating because of its endless creative possibilities, in its most wonderful as well as its darkest aspects. It also allows us to create visual effects that are too expensive or complex to implement in reality, or to instantly revive our now-lost historical photographic processes. While post-production tools were sufficient, we're now entering a new phase.
With this new landscape, we're thinking about creative imagery, but what about informative imagery? Even at this stage, the tool's performance is so advanced (and it's improving daily) that I find it impossible to distinguish, at first glance, in some images, between a photo from a real shoot and a visual created entirely by the machine. This is what makes AI worrying, because it can very quickly spread misinformation and create even more confusion.
Another major concern at a time of cost reductions in production is that AI can also replace certain preparatory jobs for the work (illustrator, graphic designer, typographer, storyboard artist, etc.).
In any case, we will have to rethink our image-related professions in order to continue to make a living from them, revalue know-how, interpersonal skills and give more importance to human qualities, which are irreplaceable by a machine.
The absolute urgency: to address the legal vacuum surrounding copyright on this subject, how to compensate the authors of images that feed into AI, whether or not they have given their consent to this endeavor?
Despite this technological revolution, nothing will replace the pleasure of photography, drawing, painting, the satisfaction of a job well done. It is in this way that humankind finds meaning.
The photography of tomorrow
Artificial intelligence is a tool that now exists and is increasingly being developed in various fields. So why not in photography? We all already use, to varying degrees, photo editing software such as Photoshop or others that can remarkably modify a photo.
With AI, we're entering a whole new era! At first, it's surprising, even a little scary, because you wonder if photographers are obsolete in the long run. But we need to learn to take photos differently to achieve even more powerful results! So why not use it like David Raichman to create a series with stunning results? I've never tried it myself, but it makes me want to learn the technique and give it a go!
understanding the evolution of our word
I'm not only a safety engineer, but also a photographer.
And I'm passionated by understanding the evolution of our world, our societies and cultures (not only geocentric in Western world).
Considering all of that, I'm interested to see where the AI could bring us in the near future. Could anyone forecast what the world will be in 2040 (in 20 years)? Not sure there was anyone in the beginning 21st century (20 years ago) who correctly predicted our current world …
And especially when it comes to arts, this is a huge debate now: can AI create art? But will this debate still exist in 20 years?
We need to call a spade a spade.
Information technology is increasingly pervading our world, and the art world is no exception. In the mid-1990s, I worked at a multimedia center in Troyes, run by Laurent Biancani, a professional photographer and educator. He asked several well-known local painters to each create a work using a computer. At the time, this certainly sparked public interest. Today, many artists continue to create using computers, and these are called "digital works" (there are even festivals and magazines dedicated to them), rather than "oil," "watercolor," or "pastel," since they are not created using those techniques, and this in no way diminishes the creativity of their creators. The images you present are not photographs, since they were not created using light on a photosensitive surface (while many photographers today use computers to retouch their photos, the fundamental element remains light), and they more likely belong to the aforementioned category of "digital works." A more precise name probably needs to be found for them ("image," like "digital work," is certainly a bit too generic), but do they belong in a photography magazine? By clearly distinguishing between the two (artworks generated by AI and photography), and by naming them correctly, the reader will avoid being misled by an obvious resemblance between the two media.
Guapa Juice campaign
This is an interesting and legitimate debate. We delivered our first hybrid catalogue campaign in February. This experimental work – a first in Belgium – is a combination of photography and AI. Neither would have been cost-effective without the other.
Guapa Juice is a brand of fresh fruit juice on demand, 49 "recipes" and 69 "solo" ingredients or sides have been delivered.
***********
To achieve this result, we "fed" the hashtag#midjourney machine in different ways.
– 139 source photos of the products and ingredient combinations
– 18 source photos of cups and bottles in various internal/external states
– 31 juice color measurements carried out on site in Leuven
– 528 iterations of generations of “splashes”, glass shapes, juice textures, etc.
Our real effort can be summarized as follows:
2,5 days of shooting/measurement
3 days of post-production/graphic design
1 day for revisions/client approval/adjustments
This project provided work for 1 graphic designer, 1 art director, 1 photographer, and 1 assistant.
We also used another AI photo technology, Topaz Labs Gigapixel, because midjourney's outputs are far from having sufficient resolution for decent commercial photographic work.
Regard
As long as AI brings poetry and beauty, creativity opens up to the world of dreams; conversely, if AI serves violence and horror, we must do without it, the world is more than enough on its own.
This is not new
This is probably the same debate that already exists with so-called creative photography.
Is this photography or image creation?
The only difference is that current software increasingly uses artificial intelligence to enhance photographs.
But let's differentiate between "helping the photographer improve" and "recreating an image".
D. Raichman's photographs are quite extraordinary, but it's only fair to explain how they were created: this doesn't detract from the striking quality of the image or the artist's aesthetic choices. I deliberately use this word rather than "photographer" because it's closer to the painter who uses reality as a source of inspiration. The photographer, it seems to me, merely enhances reality, through their own personal lens.
Perhaps we can also say that there were schools of thought in painting that asked themselves the same questions.
Are painting and photography becoming indistinguishable?
what attracts us to a photograph
What attracts us to a photograph is not the skill of the operator who masters the technique to capture the moment, but his clumsiness and therefore his humanity in telling us about it.
As long as there are men…
"A camera has never made a great picture, any more than a typewriter has ever written a great novel." - Peter Adams
Personally, not a fan…
Personally, not a fan! An artist isn't a computer, but a man or woman, with a soul, who wants to evoke something through their work… We need to develop anti-AI software!!! Hurry!
Imminent danger
You no longer need to leave home to get a polished, technically perfect image. It's a completely different approach from the guy who goes out early in the morning hunting for pictures, dependent on chance, who has experienced the scene, the anxiety of a failed shot. The encounters, the surprises, the thrill of the shutter release, the doubt…
AI will slowly suffocate us all (photography enthusiasts), leaving no room for error, reflection, or understanding the scene. I don't want to experience that, and YES, I want to take bad photos and understand why! I absolutely don't need an assistant suggesting a series of watered-down edits that fit the composition just to make it look pretty or appeal to the masses.
Photography is the result of chance or the precision of a carefully planned lighting setup, not the result of an algorithm!
A new medium for the photographer
Personally, I use AI to create "studio backdrops" just as I would set up a flowerpot or a commercially available studio backdrop. AI isn't photography, that's obvious, but let's not dismiss the use photographers can make of it. Can the result of this photo-image hybrid generated by AI still be called a "photo"? Of course not, like many of the photographic works presented by OpenEye. These are works of art.
Currently, I'm asking AI to suggest jewelry that I think I'll use to dress my models in a "collage" style. There are many other possible uses...
A sign of the times
Just as photography forced many portrait painters to close their studios and retrain, the creation of images by Artificial Intelligence—a new "technology" that is gaining momentum and will therefore continue to improve—will pose problems for graphic designers and image creators (photos or digital images, or even productions by traditional illustrators) and will undoubtedly create competition. Faster, usable from the office without intermediaries, time-saving, and then a question of market success, depending on the price. You can't stop a train in motion. However, neither AI nor digital images (including photographs sufficiently "mutilated" by software to no longer be a simple recording of a subject by the light it emits or reflects) are identical to photographs (images created by the light emitted, reflected, or intercepted by a subject). Their process is not that of recording light but of creating/generating images by algorithms. So even if vegan "steaks" exist, they have nothing to do with beef. Many (though fewer) will continue to use photography (or eat Limousin beef ;o) for what it is, what it produces, and how it produces it, especially "real" photographers ;o) … which won't stop AI from developing.
As Roland Barthes wrote…
In photography, the referent adheres… in AI, it tends to disappear, digested by software and regurgitated as a “simulacrum”… (Jean Baudrillard). Reflection on the ontology of photography (its fundamental nature) began decades ago, accelerated by digital imaging. AI is just one more step in the direction of the simulacrum, but the reflections remain and are just as valid. I would add to the obvious referents of photography (subject and light) the added dimension of humanity expressed through the artist's choices. In 2023, we still look at paintings, and there are still painters (art and/or decoration).
That's sad and disappointing!
I would like them to tell us everything...especially by what right they appropriate millions of surely protected images to feed their software...without telling us the cost?
I'll leave them their soulless images! I will always trust Human Intelligence because it is the most creative of all and especially in diversity.
The birth of a new "ART"
I am happy to witness the birth of a new art form.
AI, for me, combined with the talent of a photographer, is the result of a new, imagined, invented, dreamlike image.
I am not judging
I observe
Discover
Appreciates
Frédérique K
Let's invent a new, unambiguous name for the use of AI; I suggest GRAPHIC IMAGE ORDERING.
Photography will remain the art of writing with light, of conveying the reality of a moment, of inscribing itself in time, of educating humanity about reality and its evolution… AI doesn't play with light, but rather, through the artifice of a computer—a technical creator, certainly—calling it photography becomes a sham. Creativity is limited to the intention and inspiration of the technician, but it doesn't transcribe reality, and moreover, the technician has no right to control the elements that compose their creation. When the technician draws exclusively from their own images, they can claim a right, but this amalgamation of elements remains graphic design, not photography. Let's give these productions a name: COMPUTER-GRAPHIC IMAGE. Sincerely.
Concerns about AI…
Einstein despaired of it before he died… “Two things are infinite,” he said, “the universe and human stupidity… although…” he added with that humor he never lost, “I still have some doubt, concerning… the universe.” Who are the creators of AI? Just as we created our gods in our own image, we are creating AI… but what are we going to “augment,” and for what purpose? The question is, who will be, who are, the manipulators of AI? It's safe to say that human intelligence (or stupidity?) will be entirely responsible for the benefits or harms of this augmentation… or this self-destruction of human intelligence? As long as there is war… And that we will teach children to fight and play at being little soldiers, "heroes" of our history made up of "crimes against humanity"... It is indeed a whole education of our "mentality" that needs to be rebuilt... Could AI play a part in this, by "increasing" our level of tolerance and generosity, and above all, by "reducing" our warlike instincts? But then... human beings will no longer be what they were... a little better at least! Otherwise, with or without AI, won't we very quickly head towards our self-destruction...? Véa, a photo-pixel artist
Hazard.
Interesting journal, but often with "too much going on in every direction." As an amateur but passionate photographer and collector, I know my place. I work to improve and respect the styles and signatures of the masters of this art. The mere idea that you only have to click a button to create a "Masao Yamamoto" or a "Sarah Moon" encourages plagiarism and jeopardizes true creativity. These AI-generated photos are soulless, devoid of personality in most cases. Clean, sterile, and odorless, they lead a majority lacking in creativity to believe that suddenly everyone becomes a photographic artist…
Opinions are very mixed on this subject…
A major debate is coming regarding images and "artificial intelligence"!
This is a problem for professionals who will find themselves "technically" unemployed, but AI will not be able to report on your event... Only image creators have something to worry about.
For photography enthusiasts and club members, this is a debate not to be taken too seriously; it simply requires a curious eye. Artificial imagery is as worrying as the arrival of digital technology revolutionized the world of photography…
For my part, it doesn't particularly interest me (for now), I have other subjects that concern me much more.
I will always enjoy going to the photo club meetings with my friends, and I will always enjoy doing my professional reports, for now.
Art doesn't need help
Humans possess enough creativity.
And there will always be photography
This debate is interesting because it questions not only technique, but also art, creativity, and, of course, legitimacy. Since the invention of photography, we've been questioning it; painters did so long before. We've simply moved further back in time. Let's remember the debate surrounding Photoshop; aren't there many similarities? What shocks me, however, is that I'll have to learn a new language to produce and appreciate new photographic works. I'll resist the change, but it's here to stay.
AI and natural intelligence
Technology is unstoppable. For some, it's a wonderful tool, but the flip side is that in the very near future, for many AI users, artificial intelligence (in all fields—photography, writing, etc.) and natural stupidity will become indistinguishable. Some will reach great heights, but many will fall into stupidity and ignorance through intellectual laziness! It's not certain that the benefits of this tool will bring about positive change in society as a whole!
Wax figures, it's the Grévin Museum of photography; photography has lost all its identity! I'm for it insofar as it's computer graphics and against it insofar as it's considered photography.
Excellent magazine, nothing to change. The reviews aren't too long, the research is good, and there's a diverse range of photographers—all good! Plus, I know one of the editors, Jacky Martin, quite well. Keep up the good work.
Something else!
Not against it, but it lacks the greatest pleasure of the photographic experience, the more or less intense, but real emotion that makes us photograph an event, a place, a human experience, a news item etc., but always a moment that will no longer exist.
With AI, it's photocomposition, certainly with an indisputable artistic rendering, the result of great imagination and generally, one must hope, also a great sense of composition.
Photography originates from the real moment, the instantaneous capture of an emotion. That's not the case here. It's a different realm than photography as we understand it. We need to find another name for it.
Relativize
One day, a computer scientist told me, "A computer is no smarter than the dumbest of its programmers." So it's up to the photographer to demonstrate the superiority of human-machine interface (HMI) over artificial intelligence (AI), if only by using it. Question: Is a "Photoshopped" photo still a photo or just an image? Perhaps the only one who should be worried is Adobe…
(Note: H stands for "human," of course...)
It's about providing services and the death of authenticity.
To put it simply, AI will NEVER be about photography.
Photography captures an instant, a moment. It is authentic.
AI is therefore following in the footsteps of the ultra-commercial and heavily retouched "photo," which is a photo in name only, because it looks like a photo. AI RESEMBLES a photo.
But in the end, it's exactly the same as if we had paid three bucks to an Indian guy on Fiverr to make a photomontage for us:
– Zero authenticity
– Other people and resources are doing it for us.
It's a bit like saying you "cooked" by adding goat cheese to a store-bought pizza. No, man, the industry made your meal; you're just trying to justify your supposed impact when you're only a part of that tool—its "communication" side.
The photograph is taken with a camera!
AI is not photography, it's just a medium for graphic designers or geeks lacking creativity!
Users quickly proclaim themselves as visual artists when it is actually the application that creates in their place by plagiarizing the works of photographers pirated from Google!
AI photography or image?
AI or not, nothing will stop progress, but it will be necessary to indicate, through a digital signature, that an image is AI-generated. Misuse and inaccuracies will pose a problem, as fake photographs can be harmful, so regulation must be the immediate objective. Soon, everyone will be free to use it or not, AI will be so easy to use, and with Photoshop, we already use it with various filters, and on your phone, AI enhances your images. Personally, I don't see the point because my photos are often "ordinary," and I only use various software programs for a few functions that remind me of the possibilities of film photography. But for those who create purely creative work, it could be a way to push the boundaries of their ideas if we can combine photography and AI, which isn't the case today.
Is human thought dead?
AI = It's robotic synthetics… an intrusion into people's private lives using unscrupulous means…
This is the denial of human intelligence in favor of targeted interests and in the absence of any ethics.
An excuse for art? That makes me laugh…
It's like virus research labs, which create more viruses and can't prevent them from being leaked…
Electric cars that can no longer stop due to a lack of intelligence?
We can clearly see where this is leading us… Nothing but excesses in every direction… Let's remember to hold onto certain values…
AI is not in the picture
In the latest issue of OpenEye, you conclude that AI definitely has its place in a photo magazine.
I don't think so! Wouldn't this be the first step in deceiving the public?
For a long time now, talented artists have been using other methods and techniques to obtain hyperrealistic images that are easily mistaken for photography; they have never been published (to my knowledge at least) in a photo magazine.
Moreover, the proponents of AI are not mistaken, who create their own magazine (Midjourney Magazine), in which it is highly likely that photography will not have a place, quite obviously.
German artist Boris Eldagsen deliberately deceived organizers of a major photo competition by revealing afterward that his image was not a photograph, precisely to encourage the creation of competitions and prizes dedicated to this practice in order to clearly distinguish between them.
Understand that I'm not a staunch opponent of AI, but when you call yourself a "watercolor magazine," you don't publish photographs, any more than a "ceramics and glass magazine" would. If we want to keep things clear…
Intelligence ?
I don't have a strong opinion on this subject… But several thoughts come to mind:
I think I understand that AI generates images or text from a database analyzed by a "neural network" trained to give answers considered correct. There's no creativity in that. There's a logic, driven by the humans who programmed the AI (even if these settings are made by software, faster than humans, this software was also programmed by humans). The supposed intelligence comes from the sheer volume of data and the speed of analysis (this type of AI was actually invented several decades ago, but we didn't have the internet to collect the data, nor the computing power necessary to analyze it).
We attach great importance to the idea that "photography" must be an image of reality as seen through the lens, a drawing made by light. Even if we manipulate this reality somewhat, it must remain present. But what about texts that have existed for millennia? We're not bothered that a text can be a description, a biography, a novel, or even a poem. We manage very well with "realistic" or "fictionalized" texts. Just like with cinema, for that matter… If techniques allow us to create "invented" photographs, we should be able to find our way around… It requires a certain trust, and an "ethical" approach to the presentation of images, just as it does with texts.
– To return to the topic of creativity, is piling up the past creative? Isn't true creation that which invents something new, something never read, never seen, never felt, never touched, never heard? Isn't this "absolute creation" due to the artist's experience? To their past? Their culture? What makes them know it's new? Is the difference between humans and AI the human capacity to propose something "never before done"? Something absent from their past experience? Unlike AI, which is incapable of this… What isn't in its learning is infinite! How would it choose it?
AI: one process (another)
How can we approach the subject without prejudice or passion?
Let's start with the historical definition of photography: "a process for fixing images".
• There is necessarily a "process" for making photographs.
• Photography is first and foremost an image.
Historically, people were initially amazed by the process and the feat of its realization.
The processes have multiplied and become more sophisticated in order to give the image its power and appeal.
AI is a process for fixing images.
Criticisms of AI
• This is not photography
• It's plagiarism, theft, robotics; AI feeds on others, consumes and feeds on what others have done.
• AI has no soul
• We don't need it.
What I observe is that there are images and that they raise questions both by their quality and by their subject matter.
It remains a tool that we can use or not. We can continue to take photos as before (but before what?).
The questioning of the image remains the same, regardless of the method used. The viewer's intelligence is not artificial; it depends on their culture, curiosity, interests, current mood, principles and prejudices, their desire to convince or be convinced, and so on. All degrees of intelligence exist; that of the ayatollahs is no better than that of fools. I hear people scoffing at AI, but they don't seem to be wary of natural stupidity.
AI feeds on others. Certainly, but who hasn't themselves fed on others, wanting to do like Doisneau, copying Weston, Bresson, Lange etc… And these are not just influences.
The ethical aspects obviously need to be clarified. What about the transparency of processes, the recognition of sources, image ownership, the right to reproduce, etc.?
We cannot escape AI, and we already often use it without realizing it. We must remain vigilant and stay clear about our own principles, which are not necessarily those of others.
Michel Witasse
AI is not good news for photography…
…or rather, for photographers.
We are seeing more and more formatted, over-enhanced, smooth, conventional images.
There was already sky retouching and skin smoothing, but now the software itself creates a standardized photograph for social media.
An AI-generated photograph even won a prestigious competition; the author, Boris Elgadsen, refused his prize, revealing the hoax (https://www.numerama.com/tech/1343408-limage-dune-ia-a-dupe-les-organisa...).
The real problem I see with the use of AI is the ethical issue. Particularly in matters of journalistic information or the presentation of a reality (which, as a result, doesn't exist).
Imagine a photograph of a couple taken in front of Paris City Hall, presented in black and white, but created using Midjourney. Would it have the same feel, the same intensity, as Doisneau's?
Let's imagine, for example, an Afghan woman with blue eyes created using the same software. What would her documentary value be?
I am only talking about examples that I have seen circulating on social media.
And what a deception to offer an image created by writing two lines of text, without looking at space, time, place, light, the attitude of a model, and call that "photography"!
Personally, I am increasingly tempted to move away from digital photography, because digital technology will make many photographers lazy!
Certainly, we cannot fight against the evolution of technology, and everyone can appreciate the usefulness of a dose of algorithms in our photo development software.
But it will soon become necessary to check an image's metadata to verify its authenticity!
I really like your online magazine; it's free and interesting in terms of presentation and the topics covered.
Nice for being free, beautiful presentation, your topics are interesting, discovering new photographers of all styles and genres
IA
Hello,
And suddenly the world is ablaze over a supposed artificial intelligence?
AI has existed for ages but was confined to the professional world.
In short, the thing isn't new, it's just been made available to the general public.
And what about the photo?
Well, that won't change much; we already find many images processed with the same PS tool, which gives the same effect and ultimately creates the same trend.
MachinChap will release the same images that the same people will reproduce and that will happen on the same media…
What's up ?
Nothing; we quickly tire of tech, especially when it mixes with art, and there will always be hordes of inspired penguins who, with a stroke of genius, will produce works that will bring tears to your eyes… without any fanfare!
All you need is a box, a few pieces of glass, and an electrical or chemical sensor of your own.
See: Miroslav Tichy (okay, it's extreme, but so poetic.)
An inspired issue number 33
Magnificent works and creations are unveiled in this issue 33, notably by Elena Paraskeva and Debora Barnaba
Thank you
Thank you for the quality of your work and your generosity; this initiative is particularly valuable for everyone.
English Newsletters
Please have your Newsletters in English as sometimes it is not translated by our Email software.
It helps with MultiLingual assistants and makes it better.
Thank you in advance!
K.
call for applications
BarrObjectif, a photojournalism festival, will take place from September 14 to 22, 2024, in Barro, in the northern Charente region [16700]. The BarrObjectif Festival showcases photojournalism that addresses all the subjects that question and bear witness to our times, encompassing documentary and artistic photography. The photographic trail unfolds through the village streets. Admission and conferences are free.
The BarroPhoto association is launching a call for applications. This is an opportunity for selected photographers to present their work to an audience of both photography enthusiasts and newcomers, including students and professionals. It will be a time for exchange and sharing with emerging photographers and the guest of honor (currently being selected).
An Audience Award
The author of the acclaimed exhibition will be invited to exhibit at the next edition of the festival, outside of the selection process.
Photographers wishing to participate must send their application from December 15th until February 29th, 2024 to candidature@barrobjectif.com
The photographer agreement can be downloaded from https://barrobjectif.com
Conditions and procedure
• Professional and amateur photographers, French or foreign
• No imposed theme
• No registration fees
• Only one project per candidate
• €250 for copyright
Application form
• the photographer agreement completed and signed
• a series of up to 20 low-resolution photographs
• Exhibition description text
• Photographer's introductory text
• a portrait photo of the photographer
An independent jury of photography professionals will meet at the end of March 2024 and select 20 exhibitions. The winners will be notified by email and announced on the website. They will receive a flat fee of €250 for copyright royalties during the exhibition of their work.
Good luck to everyone
opinion
Hello to the editorial team, is it possible to get your opinion on a personal project?
Thank you in advance and happy new year to the entire editorial team.
Volume 36
From this issue number 36 comes a word that sums it up completely, and for all the photographers present: Delicacy…
We really need it…
Quality and eclecticism
Just like digital, this web magazine has taken over from paper, even if the latter in its luxury version will always be a valuable object.
Openeye gets straight to the point, developing its subjects or themes with clarity, using concise text to give space to the image.
André Eppe
Bravo
BRAVO for the new OPENEYE layout, bravo for the vertical format, bravo for the lighter and more airy typography, bravo for the double columns and since we are on a computer medium and are not bothered by the binding fold, bravo for having larger photos on both pages!
Congratulations
Hello,
The new layout is excellent. The magazine is clearer, both in terms of text and photos, and gives a more sophisticated impression. It's easy to read thanks to this improved flow.
Bravo
new layout
Well done on this new layout and your artist presentations are always so attractive….
sumptuous magazine
I love your magazine! Well done!
Thank you again for this wonderful magazine.
avid reader of your magazine
I've been a reader since issue number 1; I download each issue, which I carefully keep as a PDF in my (virtual) library, and then I read it in small doses. Afterward, I extract the portfolios that interest me, building a small collection of author dossiers.
and I share the pdf with my trainees and also with photographer friends, some of whom ended up being published in Openeye, and perhaps I had something to do with that, and I encourage others to take the plunge?
Always a pleasure to read
I look forward to discovering each new issue. I appreciate the diversity of approaches, which allows us to constantly discover new facets of the world of photography. Keep up the good work!