In the era of artificial intelligence, industries across the board have been subject to transformative changes. The photography industry, like many others, is poised at the precipice of a revolution. The rise of generative AI, capable of creating unique, never-before-seen images in response to a given prompt, threatens to upend the conventional norms of professional photography. But does this signify the death of an industry, or merely its evolution?

The capabilities of AI have grown at an astonishing rate, with its algorithms creating art, composing music, and even writing text that is nearly indistinguishable from human work. The arrival of AI systems that can create realistic images based on specific briefs presents an undeniable potential for disruption in the realm of professional photography.

This evolution calls into question the very relevance of traditional, human-centric stock imagery and commissioned shoots. With the costs associated with AI-driven image creation expected to decrease over time, the prospect of generative AI replacing certain aspects of the photography market seems plausible. After all, why would a picture editor pay for stock imagery when AI can generate it quickly and economically?

Yet, as alarming as this prospect might seem for professional photographers, it is crucial to consider the whole picture. While the capabilities of AI are impressive, there is an array of elements intrinsic to human-driven photography that, as of yet, remains out of reach for AI.

Photography, at its heart, is not just about snapping pictures—it is a form of communication, telling stories through a blend of technical skill, creative instinct, and an eye for detail. It is about capturing moments, evoking emotions, and creating narratives. This nuanced understanding of context, empathy, and the human condition is something AI currently lacks, despite its impressive strides.

Moreover, there’s a significant element of human experience that feeds into a photographer’s work—understanding a client’s needs, their personalities, their brand ethos, and more. These subtle, yet critical, nuances often make the difference between a good photograph and a great one. Until AI can demonstrate this level of sophistication, there will always be a niche for professional photographers.

So, what’s next for the professionals? Will they become obsolete in this brave new world of generative AI? Far from it. Rather than fearing the rise of AI, it would be more constructive to embrace it as a tool that can elevate their craft.

Generative AI can help alleviate the mundane tasks and allow photographers to focus more on creativity and innovation. It can serve as an aid, providing preliminary drafts that photographers can build upon, thus augmenting their capabilities rather than replacing them outright. Photographers can also harness AI to offer a greater range of services and open up new avenues for their businesses.

The future will likely see a blend of AI and human creativity, with each pushing the other to new heights. The intersection of photography and AI is not a death knell but rather an opportunity for photographers to explore new terrains, push their creative boundaries, and redefine their roles in this evolving landscape.

Change is inevitable. Like every other industry disrupted by technology, professional photography must adapt. However, one thing remains certain amidst this flux: as long as there is a need for human connection, empathy, and creative expression, there will be a need for the human touch in photography, AI or not. So, rather than killing the market for professional photography, generative AI might just breathe new life into it.

As the twins spent more time with the IONIQ 5, they were thrilled to discover how well it could integrate with their creative workflow.

They were particularly impressed with the V2L (Vehicle-to-Load) feature, an innovative technology facilitated by the IONIQ 5’s electric powertrain. V2L allows the car to function as a large power bank on wheels, providing electricity to various devices such as laptops and lighting equipment through an external socket on the car’s charging port or an internal V2L socket located under the back row of seats.

For professional photographers like the Yusmans, a reliable power source is invaluable and V2L enables them to keep their gear charged and ready to capture those fleeting moments. They also appreciate having all the power they need to work on post-production and editing without any interruptions to their creative flow due to low-battery issues.

“Today’s mobile phones can endure for quite some time, but you may need to charge your laptop, especially if you’ve been using it to run demanding applications, like editing photos or videos for a few hours. This ability to charge your devices is a feature I would definitely look out for in a car,” said Yais.

The IONIQ 5 itself is no slouch in the charging department. When plugged into a 350kW DC charger, its battery can be recharged from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in just 18 minutes.

A FLEXIBLE SPACE

Unauthorized snapshots may infringe on portrait rights, lawyers cautioned

Whether street photography and filming constitute infringements of privacy and portrait rights was the topic of heated discussion on Chinese social media platforms over the past week after a former State-owned enterprise official was filmed in public holding hands with a woman.

The controversy involving Hu Jiyong, a general manager of a Beijing-based company affiliated with China National Petroleum Engineering Corp (CPEC), arose when a video clip of him strolling along a street in Chengdu, Sichuan province, holding hands with a young woman went viral on Wednesday. CPEC is a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corp.

Netizens quickly identified Hu, who was on a business trip to Chengdu, and noted that the woman was neither his wife nor his daughter.

On Wednesday afternoon, Hu, who served as the executive director, Party secretary and general manager of Huanqiu Project Management (Beijing) Co, was removed from his posts and placed under disciplinary investigation, according to a release issued by the company.

The incident, dubbed “hand-holding gate” by some media organizations, quickly topped the most-searched list last week on various social media platforms. It also sparked heated public discussion of whether street photography can constitute an infringement of privacy.

On Thursday. the photographer in question told Dahe Daily, a news portal in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan, that he received messages from Hu and the woman after posting the video online and that he had removed it from the internet.

He said that neither Hu nor his companion objected to being photographed at the time and that he would not take photos or videos of people if they were unwilling, much less post them online.

“Taking photos or videos on the street, as was the case in Chengdu, doesn’t infringe upon the right of privacy, because the street is public space,” said Yi Shenghua, a lawyer at Beijing Yongzhe Law Firm. “But the act can infringe upon a person’s right of portrait.”

Wang Weiwei, a lawyer at Beijing Zhongwen Law Firm, explained that if photographers take photos of passersby without their permission and post them publicly, or use the images for profit, they could be guilty of violating the portrait rights of those photographed.

Under the Civil Code, all residents hold the legal rights to their portraits. Without the owner’s permission, portraits may not be posted, copied, published, rented exhibited, or used in other public areas.

But if portraits relate to the public interest, such as is the case with news reports, performance of duty or supervision, or are used for personal studies or for illustrating a specific public environment, they can be posted without permission, according to Shan Yanwei, a lawyer at the Bluerule Law Firm in Henan.

All the lawyers interviewed have called for street photographers to abide by the law and respect the legitimate rights of passersby, and suggested prudence while working on the street to ensure their behavior complies with the law, ethics and morals.

“This doesn’t mean that street photography should be completely rejected because of this incident, but photographers and citizens should be more aware of the legal risks of taking public photos and be careful not to create disputes,” Wang added.

While the Chengdu photo resulted in scandal for the former official, it also brought the city’s Taikoo Li, a business and fashion zone, back into the public focus.

With the rapid development and popularity of short videos in recent years, Taikoo Li in Chengdu, like other areas such as Sanlitun in Beijing and Anfu Road in Shanghai, has become a favorite spot for visitors, including online celebrities and fashion stars, to take photos and make videos. They are also popular locations among street photographers.

On Thursday, when Jimu News visited Chengdu Taikoo Li, it found that yellow notices had been placed along the street reminding passersby to be more aware of protecting their right of portrait and clarifying that filming shoppers would not be supported.

Service staff at Taikoo Li told the news portal that the signboards have been in place for several years, but that it was still possible to take photos in the area.

They pointed out that taking photos for business purposes requires permission, but that there was no restriction on private photography.

Beijing’s Sanlitun Taikoo Li also issued a “street photography reminder” on Friday evening, stating that there are multiple warning signs in prominent locations in the popular shopping area, reminding customers to be more aware of protecting their personal portrait rights.

Sanlitun Taikoo Li does not support any unauthorized commercial photography and has a formal application channel for commercial photography, it said.

It was a single black-and-white image of a young man lying on an Australian beach that defined the career of photographer Max Dupain.    

But two years before the Sunbaker was captured in 1937, the Sydney-born artist agreed to an assignment that led him far from the beaches and into the heart of north Queensland’s sugarcane country.

It’s a project that photographer and Mr Dupain’s studio manager of more than 30 years, Jill White, says has been largely forgotten.

“CSR Limited [Colonial Sugar Refining Company] wanted him to go up and cover the stories and different aspects of the cane growing in the mills.”

Recognised as one of the most prolific Australian photographers of the 20th century, Dupain journeyed through the cane fields of the Burdekin, Ingham, and Innisfail capturing the stories of the workers, families, and children who made their living on the land.

But the resulting works, captured over 40 years, have largely escaped the public eye.

A ‘very long and very diverse’ career

Born in Sydney in 1911, Dupain’s professional career spanned more than 60 years predominantly documenting the Australian landscape.

But it was after Dupain opened his photography studio in 1934 when CSR, which operated sugar mills across north Queensland, became his first commercial customer the following year.

Ms White says Dupain’s main photographic expedition occurred in the 1950s and he returned to the region on multiple trips until the late 1970s.   

“I think he enjoyed getting away and getting up and doing something different out in the open air,” Ms White says.

“There was a lot of preparation for jobs like that when they were away for a week or so because he couldn’t necessarily just go down to the corner shop and buy rolls of black-and-white film.

Wayne Tunnicliffe is the head curator of Australian art at the Art Gallery of NSW, which holds the majority of the Queensland collection. He says Dupain’s partnership with CSR was a crucial part of establishing his practice in his early career.

“There were very few opportunities to show photographs in an art context in the 1960s and little chance of generating income.

“The sugar cane is just a small component of his work for CSR … he’s photographing other factories, pastoral properties, all sorts of aspects of their very broad operation through Australia.”

Despite the commercial nature of the project, Mr Tunnicliffe says Dupain maintained an enormous amount of freedom in his photography, resulting in “incredibly powerful” images.

“What [CSR] seem to have done is not asked for just a straightforward documentary approach, but wanting something more than that,” he says.

“You can clearly get a sense of Max looking for these singular images, which convey an experience and almost an emotional tenor, and that is very much part of his practice.

The Australian spirit on camera

The collection was donated by CSR to the Art Gallery of NSW and Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) during the 1980s when they featured as part of an exhibition marking 200 years of refinery operations in Australia.

It is believed to be the first recorded time they were displayed in public, and since then they haven’t been seen as a collection for more than 30 years.

“They sort of don’t come out for long periods of time … with works on paper, we have to consider things like resting them when they’re on display for a certain time to just keep the quality of them,” Michael Hawker, curator of Australian art at QAGOMA, says.

“We sort of tend to think of Dupain with those great major images like the Sunbaker, which is capturing the ethos of Australia … but he was getting out there in the outback in industrial and working environments as well.”

Even after Dupain’s death in 1992, Mr Hawker says the timeless qualities of his work continue to resonate with modern audiences.

“He was very much at the forefront of art photography at the time and influenced a lot of younger photographers who are coming through after him.”

A scholar, artist and heir to a considerable fortune, Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey set off from his native France in 1842 for a tour of the historic archeology of the Eastern Mediterranean. But, more than just an eager sightseer, Girault de Prangey planned to capture such famed structures as the Acropolis in Athens and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem via daguerreotype – the world’s first publicly accessible photographic process – with the intent of publishing and selling his images. These pictures, as well as the additional street scenes and cityscapes he would capture along the way, would eventually become historic in their own right, in some cases representing the oldest surviving photographs of the places depicted. However, as this video essay from the YouTube channel Kings and Things details, these remarkable images would go almost entirely unseen until the 1920s, some three decades after Girault de Prangey’s death. Inviting viewers to retrace this photographer’s footsteps, the video presents a riveting window onto the Eastern Mediterranean as it existed nearly two centuries ago, at the dawn of the photographic age. For more from Kings and Things, watch The Impossible Architecture of Étienne-Louis Boullée.

Nominations Now Open for the Hagerty/TCBN 40Under40

For 17 years, the Traverse City Business News, sister publication to Northern Express, has been celebrating the young move…
Read More >>

Monday, June 12

Baton Rouge Career Fair | Hilton Hotel

Ready to get networking? Meet with top Baton Rouge employers at this local event. Find out who will be attending and what to expect here.

Tuesday, June 13

Photo Skills: Photography on iPhone | Apple – Mall of Louisiana

Want to up your photography game? Visit the Apple store in the Mall of Louisiana and learn how to use the latest camera features to compose a great shot. You’ll experiment with focus and exposure, practice using lighting effects and even learn how to take your first slofie.

Wednesday, June 14

CLOUD RAT with THOU | Chelsea’s Live

Baton Rouge metal band Thou will take the stage at Chelsea’s Live this week. Since it started in 2004, the band has released five full length albums and seven EPs. Check out its show starting at 6 p.m.

Thursday, June 15

Juneteenth Panel Discussion | LSU Museum of Art

In honor of Juneteenth, the LSU Museum of Art is hosting a panel featuring the Beta Iota Lambda and Xi Nu Lambda Chapters of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the oldest African American fraternity, to discuss the post-emancipation triumphs of Black Americans. Learn more about the free event here.

Friday, June 16

Juneteenth Celebration | LSU Clarence L. Barney Jr. African American Cultural Center

Join LSU’s AACC to celebrate Juneteenth from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. The celebration will include music, food, games, a historical reflection and much more. 

Saturday, June 17

Pride: A Candlelight Concert Celebrating Queer Musical Icons | Cary Saurage Community Arts Center

Celebrate Pride Month and the music of queer icons at the Cary Saurage Community Arts Center under the gentle glow of candlelight. Hear a local string quartet perform music from artists like Elton John, Frank Ocean, Stephen Sondheim, Jonathan Larsen, Tchaikovsky and more. Learn more about the event here.

Sunday, June 18

Father’s Day Poolside BBQ | Crowne Plaza Executive Center

Celebrate Father’s Day with live music, a steak dinner and cool drinks at Crowne Plaza. This event will be held from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. and entry is $15. Children under 12 get free entry. For more information, check out the Crowne Plaza Facebook.

Becoming a confident and capable photographer is no small task, and it is something to be proud of when you accomplish it. If you are currently on that journey and looking for tips on how to improve, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features an experienced photographer sharing five important tips sure to help you on your way. 

Coming to you from Kayleigh June, this awesome video tutorial discusses five tips for changing your photography for the better. Perhaps the most impactful tip is the importance of ignoring trends and not comparing yourself to others. Chasing trends can be detrimental for several reasons. First, if you are chasing trends, it will always be tough to distinguish your work, because you are always competing with what is popular at the moment. Second, you are robbing yourself of your own creative identity, and it is always far less satisfying to chase the work of others than to do what makes you happy. Lastly, chasing trends means you are always behind, as you have to wait to see what is popular and try to play catch-up. There is a lot more worthwhile advice; check out the video above for the full rundown from June.

It is the latest wacky wellness trend but we discover if a camera can REALLY capture your aura and real the true you?

By Jane Fryer and Harry Wallop and Claudia Connell and Katie Glass and Liz Jones For The Daily Mail

Published: 15:32 EDT, 11 June 2023 | Updated: 16:13 EDT, 11 June 2023

Ever wondered what colour your aura is? The latest obsession in the wacky world of wellness is ‘aura photography’.

Social media is lit up with people sharing insights into their character and state of mind from a ‘photograph’ of their aura — a ghostly, multicoloured halo conjured by a special camera and electrical sensors.

Taylor Swift mentions hers in her song Bejeweled; ‘aura manicures’ are trending on TikTok (real aficionados get their nails painted to match their own personal rainbow), while Gwyneth Paltrow has revealed her ethereal cloud of yellow and green signified, among other things, optimism, generosity and perfectionism. Of course it did.

Aura photography was pioneered in the 1970s by Californian entrepreneur Guy Coggins, whose AuraCam 3000 captured what enthusiasts believe is a genuine emanation of the kind clairvoyants have long claimed to see without mechanical aid.

Translating electrical charges picked up via a person’s hands into a spectrum of colours, the camera then superimposes the ‘aura’ over a portrait photograph taken at the same time.

The result, it is claimed, is a 2D representation of the ‘chakric energies’ — you might know the concept from yoga — flowing through a person at a particular moment of time, and thus their innermost feelings and desires.

Part psychotherapy, part psychic consultation, aura readings are a red-hot trend. But what did our writers think? Could sceptics be converted? 

What did the spectral clouds tell them about who they really are? And why did one writer emerge baffled by the contraption’s recording of an emotion it couldn’t possibly have just guessed?

I look like Kate Bush as an alien

By Jane Fryer

There are many things Gwyneth Paltrow has that the rest of us do not. An extraordinarily toned set of abs, multi-million-pound lifestyle brand and the killer stealth wealth wardrobe that we all admired during her recent court case.

Sadly, most of it is beyond our means. Even her famous vagina-scented candle costs £60.

But her enthusiasm for ‘aura reading’ is rather more accessible. For £35, it takes just 15 minutes to discover whether your ‘radiant energy’ (or electromagnetic field) is a hot red, creative orange, compassionate green, thoughtful blue or a veritable rainbow of colours like Gwynnie’s.

This insight into your personality traits — the next big thing in self-nurturing, apparently — is carried out using a special camera, a small silver-laced hand sensor and some software fed into the iPad of my American aura reader Laura Childs.

‘It is tech meets entry-level spirituality and greater self-awareness,’ she says. It’s also wonderfully quick.

I place my hand on the sensor, which measures electrical charge, while Laura takes a photo of my head and shoulders. After barely five seconds, up pops my radiant energy on her screen.

‘Ooh! Big aura today!’ she cries. ‘Very green. Really green, in fact. And yellow.’

She flips the screen to show me looking rather queasy in a sea of what looks like ectoplasm.

‘Green is where we find balance and empathy,’ she says, adding it can also mean I want everyone to be happy and am social, communicative, value close-knit family and have a strong sense of community.

 Other people’s weedy little auras aren’t a patch on my smug giant one – Claudia Connell

Which is all very pleasing. Unlike tarot reading, there are no scary predictions in aura reading, no Grim Reaper clutching his dreary old scythe. (Though a pal of mine had an aura that came out totally black, which doesn’t sound that cheery.)

Laura prints out a photo of my aura. The SLC Studio in East London is one of the few places you can have it photographed in the UK and people travel from all over for 15 minutes with Laura.

(If you’re not in London, try Aura Energetics in Glastonbury, Somerset, auraenergetics.co.uk; The Brighton Wellbeing Clinic, thebrightonwell beingclinic.co.uk; Feathers Academy in Cheshire, feathersmediums.co.uk; or Aura Cleanse in Edinburgh, auracleanse.co.uk.)

She explains that this is just a snapshot of my aura, right now. It changes according to our energy and is affected by external factors, so mine is likely to be skewed by the massive row I had ten minutes earlier with an estate agent. And would be similarly affected by the calming presence of my dog on my lap, or a fat win on the lottery.

Laura turns to the slash of vibrant yellow that appears over the chakra in the solar plexus. (Chakras are spiritual energy centres in the body.)

‘This is your gut feeling. Intuition. You know what feels right and wrong. You know what you want and don’t want,’ says Laura. ‘Or . . . it could signify indecisiveness and lack of confidence. It can sort of go either way.’

Meanwhile, the dome above the head represents our state of consciousness. If you’re burnt out or tired, it would be shallow — flat almost. Whereas mine is beautifully arched, showing a strong sense of self and openness. It is yellow, for logic and intellectualism, all of which I rather like the sound of.

Afterwards, on the train, as I sit admiring my steeple-high aura in the takeaway photo, I wonder — is it all a load of old rubbish, or is there any accuracy in my green and yellow veil? Because much of Laura’s reading does ring surprisingly true. I am mad about family and friends, love a bit of community — the allotment, church, school, street. Or, as my husband puts it: ‘You’re a total busybody.’

Though, sadly, no one has ever described me as either logical or intellectual. Laura says it’s ‘self-exploration’. Maybe, but I still look like I’m sitting in a gigantic sulphurous fart. My pals are more positive: ‘Wow! Great album cover. Sort of Kate Bush as an alien.’

For another tenner you can buy a crystal from Laura. I chose a long, thin, beige one that might help link me to the dead. Or might not.

Mine is a weird nuclear green

By Harry Wallop

I think I am meant to look ethereal and spiritual. In reality, I look like the Ready Brek kid, after he has spent too long in the Chernobyl fallout zone. Half of me is glowing orange, the other a weird, nuclear green.

Welcome to the strange world of aura photography.

I went to the studio with an open mind. Truly. After all, I have had acupuncture and believe it helped me with a trapped nerve — even though I know it is not fully backed up by science.

So what does my aura reveal? First of all, there is nothing above my head. Gywneth Paltrow had a full rainbow.

‘It is a little bit shallow here; that can be a little bit of tiredness, maybe almost burned out,’ says Laura.

Well, it’s certainly true I am tired a lot of the time, but surely Laura could spot that the moment I, a father of four with a full-time job, walked in through the door.

It gets more interesting when she starts analysing the green colour. There’s a lot of talk of my heart.

‘Things related to the heart can relate to heartbreak and grief on one side of the spectrum and falling in love on the other side,’ she says in her gentle, Californian accent.

I had, in fact, learnt of the death of a family friend just a few hours earlier, news that had hit me surprisingly hard. Had this contraption somehow managed to record this?

We then move on to the orange.

‘It relates to creativity, sensuality, sexuality, the desire to pursue things that are pleasurable,’ says Laura.

Why is it a murky, dingy orange, not a zesty Jaffa orange? Does that mean I have stopped being open to adventure? ‘It’s open to interpretation,’ says Laura. ‘It can mean a lot of things.’ Umm, OK.

‘Ultimately, that is for you to take home with you and decide,’ she adds.

Ah, so aura photography is a woo-woo Rorschach experiment — the psychological test that uses your interpretation of inkblot designs to assess personality traits and emotional tendencies.

It shows you what you want it to show. Do you want it to show you to be lethargic and lacking in vision? Or energetic and spiritual? You decide.

But if you have spent £35 on a picture, I imagine most people believe their aura really does exist. I remain unconvinced.

Giant aura means I have star power

By Claudia Connell

Who doesn’t want to be told that they light up a room? That the minute they enter, everyone else’s world gets a little brighter?

That’s what Laura says after taking a photograph of my aura.

Mainly orange, with a touch of red and pink, the shape goes high above my head and stretches wide on either side of me.

‘People will absolutely sense your energy when you enter a space,’ she says.

To prove her point, she shows me photos of other people with weedy little auras that aren’t a patch on mine.

On the downside, she tells me my energy is a little conflicted. Orange, the dominant colour, represents my willingness to try new things, while the red can mean I am also drawn to safety, security and the familiar.

I can relate to that. I often tell myself I am going to try something new and exciting and then . . . can’t be bothered. Take the time I decided to learn Spanish, booked myself on to a course and then didn’t go to the first lesson because there was no parking and I didn’t fancy a long walk.

When it comes to the aura on either side of me, the left represents the internal, the stuff we keep inside ourselves, while the right displays the energy we want others to see.

And it’s on the left that my aura shows a flash of pinkish white, which shows that I am in tune with my spirituality.

‘That spirituality could mean you feel connected to the universe or have an affinity with nature or religion,’ says Laura.

None of that sounds very me but, as it’s only a hint of pink, perhaps my spirituality is a work in progress?

I notice others have green auras, linked to the heart chakra and representing compassion. I have no trace of green, so does that mean I’m heartless?

Laura assures me it doesn’t and that people who have too many colours are often confused and chaotic. Additionally, shape and colour can vary over time.

As I leave, I decide I have enjoyed the experience — it’s fun and entertaining — but nothing more. That said, I can’t help but feel a bit smug about my giant, orange aura.

It couldn’t spot my hangover!

By Katie Glass

I am in Glastonbury, the British mecca of spirituality, stocking up on essential oils, when I get the call asking if I want to have my aura read. Er, obviously, yes! I’m familiar with aura readings having grown up in this hippy corner of Somerset. I arrive for my aura reading with a hangover. A Taurus, I celebrated my birthday the day before my reading. Is this going to mess up my karma?

‘People who are hungover can have an aura that’s a little bit shallower on the top,’ warns Laura, explaining that tiredness can make the colours we project less vibrant. I put on my best grin and try to channel my most uplifted self.

Having recently started a new relationship, I’m expecting a pretty, pink, heart-centred aura. Instead, what I get is a Hare Krishna orange.

‘That’s very orange’, Laura says.

She tells me the vibrancy of my aura suggests a powerful ‘life-force’, while its egg shape, with its pointy top, indicates a strongly-burning internal flame, thankfully not quelled by my hangover.

The bright orange, she continues, emanates from the ‘sacral chakra’, located below the navel in the womb and hips, and represents the creation of new life and new projects. The zestiness of my orange suggests someone creative, open-minded and curious, with a strong desire to explore, most specifically in pursuit of pleasure.

This sounds like me to a tee and is especially familiar having spent the past two days dashing around London celebrating my birthday with cocktails and sightseeing.

Orange dominates my aura but it does have a touch of bright yellow too, reflecting the solar plexus chakra, a fire element indicating personal power and confidence. It’s a mix that suggests someone action-oriented and filled with ideas.

‘Someone who wants to make decisions and knows the right decision for them,’ says Laura.

This also rings true. After a few years of flailing around trying to ‘find myself’, as I turn 42, I now feel I know what I want and need to do.

What rings truest of all is what my orange aura suggests about embracing challenges.

Having moved to the countryside during lockdown, I’ve stayed positive through the endless challenges of a new environment and renovating an old cottage.

It’s the house that took me to Glastonbury, and it feels good that my aura reading captures where I want to be.

It feels like my soul is being read

By Liz Jones

I hate having my photo taken and yet today, I’m not just submitting to a headshot, I’m allowing my energy, my very soul, to be documented.

It’s no less nightmarish when I see the image of my slightly alarmed face surrounded by orange and yellow light in a pyramid shape.

Though there’s good news. Apparently, everything above the ears represents consciousness, so my high aura means I’m quite energetic and forceful (a flat shape would mean a person feels depleted). It’s true: I can be very determined.

Laura says orange indicates I’m adventurous and open to finding stories (hmm, she knows I’m a writer). It also tells me I have lots of ideas, which is also true: I have recently written a play.

Yellow, meanwhile, denotes power, intellect, generosity and playfulness. An impressive combination. But while the yellow shines brightly on my left, my ‘yin’ side, which is where ideas are manifested, it’s weaker on the right, the ‘yang’ or action space, which tells Laura I have yet to act on my ideas, as there is indecision.

This isn’t true: I sent the play to a producer.

A weaker right side also means I’m introverted (true) and lack optimism (currently true).

As for the other qualities, while I’m indeed generous, I’m the least playful person you’ve ever met. Interestingly, I don’t have any red, which is about having a stable home: correct, as I’m still renting. ‘What we’re seeing today is a snapshot of where your head is currently at,’ she says.

I ask how I can use my reading to help me — will my ideas work, will I earn money, buy a home? — but am told it’s not a predictive tool. It’s about being reflective, taking a pause and being self-aware.

Reading my booklet on the way home, I wonder why I showed no tan colour, which is far more me: organised, highly intelligent but cautious. Or green, which is about being ambitious, a perfectionist, someone who works long, hard hours. Absolutely me.

Crucially, given I lost a loved one only 24 hours before, my aura didn’t show a trace of grief. Once again, I’m left questioning the wellness industry.

• Sheslostcontrol.co.uk. From £35 to £45.