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by flipthefrog 1144 days ago
Choosing when to click the button is a pretty essential part of photography.

"I prowled the streets all day, feeling very strung-up and ready to pounce, determined to “trap” life — to preserve life in the act of living. Above all, I craved to seize, in the confines of one single photograph, the whole essence of some situation that was in the process of unrolling itself before my eyes" Henri Cartier Bresson. The Decisive Moment

2 comments

That was from back when film was expensive, and it was impractical to take thousands of pictures, as you can now. For decades now it's common for photographers to shoot countless photos and sort through them later to pick the best ones, rather than aiming for one perfect shot.

Also consider movies and video, where you could have hours or days of footage from which to choose stills.

The act of choosing in all these cases is critical to creativity, and the same is true when you choose what to prompt an AI with or which AI generated image to display or publish.

Duchamp really did have the last word on this with his Fountain[1] over 100 years ago.

[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_(Duchamp)

Choosing how to prompt the ai is a pretty essential part of ai prompting.

"I crafted queries all day, feeling a sense of urgency and anticipation, determined to “guide” intelligence — to nurture intellect in the act of thinking. Above all, I yearned to capture, within the confines of one single prompt, the whole essence of some conundrum that was in the process of unraveling itself before my mind" Alexander Turington. The Guiding Query