… the squirrel in the photo above seems to be checking the neighborhood out for possible predators in the area before exposing himself to the unknown and he is ready to bolt in an instant if something were to go wrong. Below we have an Osprey at Lake Pleasant, perched on a tree in the water and he has a beautiful looking catch … he is hoping we will leave so he can settle in for a late morning snack.

Squirrels are food for a great number of predators and typically have a life spam of just over a year in the wild, but they do have a potential life span of about ten years …fifteen or more in captivity. Rabbits are about the same and the reason for the short lifespan of both is that so many creatures like to dine on (not with) them.

Humans fare a little better, but regardless of what continent or nation state, all nations seem to end up with leaders in charge who like to make war on other nations and peoples … and it has always been so … always the young fight the battles and the elders who promote these conflicts benefit … each bullet fired means another has to be manufactured to take its place. I like the natural world, other than survival, no causes!

It was a good day here and a lot of research on the value of various gemstones … been out of the day to day for a longtime and it is good to catch up. More tomorrow and work on the September presentation at Pepperdine University is well underway.

Into the weekend for me and the plan is to be back Monday morning … keep breathing, smile and be kind … spend some time with creatures this weekend and taste the sweetness of the wild.

Cheers,

Ted

Though I know I shall sometime no more open
my eyes to the night or the day,

I am one who looks at the stars when unchained from
the workbench at nightfall.

They are a sign that I am not ephemeral, nor you, nor
you, whoever you are.

The dawn comes and the dark and the sign sparkling
in the brooding night forever and forever.

At Nightfall by Max Ehrmann

###

The easiest way to reach Mr. Grussing is by email: ted@tedgrussing.com

In addition to sales of photographs already taken Ted does special shoots for patrons on request and also does air-to-air photography for those who want photographs of their airplanes in flight. All special photographic sessions are billed on an hourly basis.

Ted also does one-on-one workshops for those interested in learning the techniques he uses.  By special arrangement Ted will do one-on-one aerial photography workshops which will include actual photo sessions in the air.

More about Ted Grussing …

What does an atomic detonation look like with a 1/1,000,000 s exposure? If you drop milk onto a red table, do you make art? This article holds an interesting discussion about high speed photography.

Eadweard Muybridge was commissioned to use photography to determine whether a horse lifted all four hooves off the ground when galloping. This led to the famous Horse in Motion images, created in the late 1800s. Photographer Alex Kilbee discusses select iconic images from the beginnings of high-speed flash photography and throughout its history. 

High-speed flash photography is a specialized technique that involves capturing fast-moving subjects with the aid of short bursts of flash. This technique is essential for freezing rapid motion or capturing events that occur in a fraction of a second, such as a droplet splashing or a bursting balloon. Photographers can effectively eliminate motion blur and achieve remarkably sharp images even in challenging lighting conditions. High-speed flash photography finds applications in a wide range of fields, from scientific research to crime scene analysis, sports, and creative artistry, enabling us to witness and appreciate moments that would otherwise be invisible to the naked eye.

High-speed flash photography captivates many of us. As Alex explains in this video, he was fascinated from an early age thanks to a Disney annual he owned as a child, where he learned about Harold “Doc” Egerton, who pioneered the art of high-speed flash photography.

Photography itself began as a scientific process and has evolved into a tool for artists and visual storytellers. With that in mind, it is only natural that images which begun as a scientific record now often stand as works of art.

Lead Image: Horse In Motion, Eadweard Muybridge.

A study has found that 15 billion AI images have been produced in one year, it took 150 years for as many photographs to be taken.

The study by Everypixel Journal looked at how many AI images have been generated by DALL-E, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and Adobe Firefly and compared it to how many photographs were taken since photography was invented circa 1826.

It concluded that 15 billion images have been generated by AI so far and, according to a study from 2011, it took photography until 1975 to produce as many photos.

How the Study Reached the 15 Billion AI Image Number

The study draws on OpenAI’s reporting that users generate more than two million images on its DALL-E 2 platform which they estimated to be 916 million images generated in roughly 15 months.

Meanwhile, they took Midjourney’s assertion that its server receives 20 to 40 jobs per second to estimate that its 15 million registered users create 2.5 million images daily, resulting in 964 million images in total since its launch in July 2022.

Stable Diffusion is the most difficult AI image generator to judge because it is an open-source software meaning multiple platforms and apps harness its synthesizing power. Stable Diffusion’s own platforms are estimated to have produced 690 million images but the multiple companies that use its technology are estimated to have generated more than 12.5 billion images — 80 percent of all AI images created.

Lastly, Adobe Firefly announced in July that one billion images have been generated using its technology just three months after its launch.

A Pinch of Salt

The study is not entirely accurate. The authors themselves admit that there are “limitations” as their work is based on “available data and extrapolations.”

Plus, digital photography had not been invented in 1975. And analog photography is a laborious (but rewarding) process and is nothing like as straightforward as whipping out a smartphone to take a snap or even opening up an AI image generator to create an imaginative picture.

To put this into context, a recent study found that 1.8 trillion photos are taken each year. That’s a staggering 196 million photos taken per hour.

So, while AI images are proliferating they are still dwarfed by real photos.

With the first part of the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC (The Teal Mask) now set to release in September, new information provided by the Pokemon company has alluded to an exciting new feature and mission for players to experience. The trailers and information released indicate that there may be a practical photography feature on the way.

As players explore the contents of The Teal Mask portion of the Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC, they will come across a character named Perrin, a photographer who is visiting Kitakami to take photos of a certain, so far unnamed Pokemon. According to the information provided so far, the player will journey into the Timeless Woods with Perrin in search of said Pokemon, while also taking snapshots of the other inhabitants of the forest. The location itself has a certain mystique surrounding it, as the story indicates it is a place rarely visited by the locals themselves.

In addition to this new mission, the Teal Mask portion of the DLC will also add a roto-stick as an obtainable item, which expands upon the base Scarlet and Violet camera feature already available for use. This will allow the player to take more creative photos with their Pokemon partners. Pokemon can also be told to stand still when following their trainer, which will offer the opportunity for photos to be taken from many different angles. These photos can also be shared during Union Circle sessions.

This of course isn’t be Pokemon’s first brush with photography as an in-game concept. For many who grew up with the series, Pokemon Snap was a game that, while missing the usual adventure aspect of main line Pokemon games, was a very relaxing escape that allowed players to take photos of their favorite Pokemon and complete tasks based on said photo requirements.

Blending main-line games and the photography feature is something that should breed excitement, as the possibilities for such an addition are quite expansive. While a complete blend between Pokemon Snap and the main-line Pokemon games is unlikely, taking certain elements could open the possibility for another system through which the player’s can receive rewards.

A collection-based quest line similar to the Hyrule Compendium in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for example would be an interesting feature for Game Freak to add. Taking photos of Pokemon in certain environments, doing certain poses, or even photographing their shiny variant for special rewards could open up an entire new aspect to the game that we’ve yet to see in a main-line title. It could add hours of gameplay and encourage the player to re-explore old zones, and possibly lead to more discoveries should Game Freak wish to expand on the concept.

Many previous Pokemon games have had an “outbreak” function for non-native species to appear in any given region, so adding a more complete photography feature could see the player go to zones across the map to try and capture images of said Pokemon, which could then be added to the Pokédex; a feature that would rectify the fact that quite a few Pokemon, despite transferrable from home, do not have an entry in the Pokédex at this time.

Returning to the concept presented by Game Freak through Perrin and her storyline, it seems as if her story arc will predominantly focus on the ideas we’ve already mentioned; it will be a vehicle through which the player will be able to meet new and special Pokemon that we have yet encounter. Luckily for us, with the new features Game Freak is adding via the DLC, we’ll likely be able to retain more than just a mental snapshot of our play-throughs as we explore the new, unraveling stories the Teal Mask has to offer.

• Published on 08/17/2023 at 1:26 PM EDT
• Last updated on 08/17/2023 at 1:26 PM EDT