Beyond the Frame 40/
One potential AI failure? Two competition reminders. Three tip-top apps for photographers. Four sources of inspiring photography. Five Gold(ish) Rings.
Are you joking?
I’ve been exploring ways in which Artificial Intelligence might be helpful for streamlining my digital workflow. I’ve put AI to work and it is now (partly) managing my image archive. AI is creating collections of images based on specific content, suggesting appropriate keywords, recommending caption improvements…
The results are sometimes impressive but never perfect, as illustrated by the first nine images returned from an AI search for “Laughter”.
You may be able to spot an odd one out?
To be fair, that camel might be laughing. Who can say?
The use of Artificial Intelligence in photography is… well, let’s just say there are pros and cons, supporters and critics, advocates and sceptics.
I’m leaning towards being on the side of those who say, “Oh, AI is incredibly clever and it might help us with things like improving medical diagnoses but the inevitable cost will be the collapse of human civilisation and the ultimate destruction of our species.”
As I say, pros and cons. But I’m learning more about AI because it pays to be informed.
I’ll be writing about AI soon and, in an impressively balanced approach, I’ll share ways in which AI might help photographers whilst also discussing the potential dangers that AI poses to the creative community and the threat to, you know, humanity.
Two competitions — A reminder
There’s a short time left to enter two competitions to win some really desirable books:
Win your choice of book from my list of “Most-loved books of 2024”.
Win a copy of the new collection of Sergio Larrain’s photos of Valparaíso.
Competitions close on Friday 21st February.
As Mrs. G. is fond of saying, “You’ve gotta be in it to win it.”
Three Photography Apps of 2024 (or any other year in the past ten)
I could compile a long list of apps that are useful for photographers but have selected three that are perhaps not widely known and that have uses beyond photography. I’ve used each of these for many years.
Lenstag
Like all the best solutions, Lenstag is very simple.
It’s free to download and use. There is a paid, Pro tier, but it’s not essential. Users add a list of their camera bodies and lenses and upload a photo of the related serial number. The items are verified and if your gear is lost or stolen, Lenstag will search for evidence of it online.
Gear rental companies and second-hand dealers refer to Lenstag lists. And Lenstag will scan the EXIF data for images posted online, looking for serial numbers that match stolen gear. It isn’t foolproof but it’s definitely worth some time.
I’ve been using Lenstag since its launch, more than ten years ago. The company has examples of gear that was successfully recovered.
Lenstag isn’t restricted to cameras and lenses. Anything with a serial number can be recorded: laptops, phones, tablets, printers…
Even if there’s only a slim chance of stolen gear being recovered, I can’t think of a good reason not to use Lenstag.
Photographer’s Ephemeris
The Photographer’s Ephemeris (or “Photo Ephemeris” or “TPE”) wins awards for having the least memorable name whilst being the most expertly-made and most useful app.
In a nutshell, TPE accurately shows the position of the sun and moon from any place on earth on any date and time.
There are other apps which offer a similar solution but TPE goes many steps further. For example, it’s possible to set a base position together with a second reference point, perhaps the summit of a mountain or the top of the Taj Mahal, and calculate when the sun or moon will appear at the altitude and azimuth required to align in a specific way.
If you’re planning to photograph an eclipse, perhaps, or “Manhattanhenge”, when the sun sets in line with a Manhattan street, TPE is the tool you’d want to use.
TPE’s founder, Stephen Trainor, has recorded a series of helpful video tutorials to help users get the most from the app. This video also gives a great introduction to the concept behind the Photographer’s Ephemeris.
Because TPE can display the path of the sun and moon, indicate the length of shadows and also includes an impressive Augmented Reality mode, I’ve found it invaluable when we’ve been searching for a new place to live. Being able to see exactly where sunlight will fall, which rooms will be sunlit at different times of day in various seasons is really informative — and has been a deal-breaker on occasion.
The Photographer’s Ephemeris 3D is a companion app for iOS which gives a helpful visual representation of light and shadow. Here’s an example from Nepal, showing the light on Annapurna South and Macchupuchre mountains as seen from Poon Hill today.
MyTracks
https://www.mytracks4mac.info/en
My third recommendation is another well-made, reliable, Mac and iOS app that I’ve been using for years.
MyTracks allows me to organise my GPS recordings and accurately geotag my images.
These days, many cameras have a built-in GPS tracker but constant connection to a satellite can drain a battery and, in my experience, camera GPS recording is not always accurate.
MyTracks runs in the background on an iPhone, uses very little power and records locations accurately. I set it to record when I’m photographing, export a GPX file at the end of the day, and use Lightroom’s Maps module to attach accurate GPS location data to my images.
The likelihood of me remembering exactly where I photographed that man carrying a basket of live chickens up a trail in rural Nepal some 15 years ago is zero. Fortunately, as MyTracks was recording my route, I’ve geotagged the image files and can accurately pinpoint exactly where we met.
The eventual fate of the chickens is, alas, not recorded but I am confident they are, to this day, happily laying eggs in a free-range, mountain meadow. They did not contribute to the ingredients for a delicious Nepalese curry. Probably.
Four sources for inspiring photography
A recent poll revealed that 100% of my friends and colleagues agree with the statement: “Social media platforms have nosedived into a sewer owned and run by a pile of absolute gombeens.”
However, there are still online platforms where one can find impressive photography. Here are four that I recommend.:
Photos of the Day — The Guardian (Reader supported)
https://www.theguardian.com/news/series/ten-best-photographs-of-the-day
Every day, ten of the best agency photos selected by Guardian picture editors.
Lens — New York Times (Paywall)
https://www.nytimes.com/section/lens
The NY Times’ Lens blog ran for ten years and although it’s been dormant since 2019, there are enough interesting photo essays in the archive to be worth a visit.
The New York Times continues to publish photo essays. They’re no longer under the Lens blog umbrella but appear regularly in the “Lens” search results page.
Even non-subscribers should be able to read this ten-year anniversary article.
Here’s another fine (paywall removed) example of a more recent photo essay: Trekking Across Switzerland, Guided by Locals’ Hand-Drawn Maps.
BlueSky Photography Feeds
https://bsky.app/profile/gavingough.com
There are two social media platforms where photography is still encouraged to flourish. The first is BlueSky, where feeds of specific themes can be found.
All sorts of photographs from all over the world by everyday people. Think of it as a cooling river of creativity that you can dip your hot toes into occasionally.
BlueSky Photography Feeds
BlueSky users can also find feeds featuring specific genres; Nature, Landscape, Astrophotography, Street Photography and more.
Foto
The new Foto platform promises to be what many photographers hoped Instagram would become. Photographs are displayed in chronological order, uncropped and without intrusive advertising.
Foto has been in beta testing for some time. However, in yet another example of my immaculate timing, the platform will go live on the Apple and Android stores on the 21st of February.
You can find more information about Foto, including the Foto podcast, on the Foto Substack page.
Five Gold Rings
My artificially intelligent colleague was unable to find a picture containing “five gold rings” in my photo archive, but it did suggest this as a close alternative.
And finally, if you haven’t already entered my book prize competitions (see above), go and submit your entry now, you hot-toed numpty.
Until next time, go well.
The Directory contains a full list of newsletters, tagged and searchable by content.
The Resources page contains links to recommended photographic resources, including books, camera gear, accessories, software, contests, grants, and online tools.
Beyond the Frame is a reader-supported publication. The newsletter is a labour of love that only exists thanks to the patronage of readers. Please consider joining the community of supporters. Your support makes all the difference.
