Category: Travel

  • Bikes, Rain & Crocuses — Fan Of… & FOTD Mar 11

    Bikes, Rain & Crocuses — Fan Of… & FOTD Mar 11

    Hi All 👋 Feel free to join this weekly challenge whenever you think, “I’m a fan of…” (see below for how-to).

    Join the fun
    1. Create a Fan Of… Photo Post.
    2. Add a link to your Fan of… blog post in my comment box or create a pingback by linking to my post.
    3. Title your post Fan Of… or add a Fan Of… tag.

    My Fan Of… this week is cycling in the rain with my wife, Susan, & a big patch of crocuses. This is also my post for Cee’s FOTD.

    Cumbernauld House Park in the rain
    Cumbernauld House Park in the rain
    (more…)
  • Straiton Pond #4 for Water Water Everywhere #212

    Straiton Pond #4 for Water Water Everywhere #212

    Hi All 👋 Feel free to join in whenever you have a water picture to post (any type of water, in any state, will do). See below for how to join the fun

    How to participate
    1. Create a Water Water Everywhere Photo Post.
    2. Add a link to your WWE blog post in my comment box, or create a pingback by linking to my post.
    3. Title your post Water Water Everywhere or add WWE tag.

    My next series will feature Straiton Pond, near Loanhead, just outside of Edinburgh.

    Swans on Straiton Pond
    Swans on Straiton Pond

    How To Join In

    1. Create a Water Water Everywhere Photo Post.
    2. Add a link to your WWE blog post in my comment box, or create a pingback by linking to my post.
    3. Title your post Water Water Everywhere or add WWE tag.

    Hae a guid week 😁

  • Snowdrops -A Bit of an Obsession with AI Artwork in my Fan Of… Series

    Snowdrops -A Bit of an Obsession with AI Artwork in my Fan Of… Series

    Hi All 👋 Feel free to join this weekly challenge whenever you think, “I’m a fan of…” (see below for how-to).

    This week, some snowdrops get the Hot Mods treatment.

    FROM REAL PHOTOS TO COLLABORATIVE AI ARTWORK: MY EXPERIMENT WITH AI ART

    I started off with a very basic picture of some snowdrops & let my inner chimp’s (Godfrey) imagination run crazy; this is the baseline picture.

    Snowdrops
    Snowdrops

    My first idea was to have the snowdrops in an ornate frame but seeming to grow out of it.

    Framed snowdrops
    Framed snowdrops
    (more…)
  • Straiton Pond #3 for Water Water Everywhere #211

    Straiton Pond #3 for Water Water Everywhere #211

    Hi All 👋 Feel free to join in whenever you have a water picture to post (any type of water, in any state, will do). See below for how to join the fun

    My next series will feature Straiton Pond, near Loanhead, just outside of Edinburgh.

    This is also my post for John’s Cellpic Sunday.

    Swans on Straiton Pond
    Swans on Straiton Pond

    How To Join In

    1. Create a Water Water Everywhere Photo Post.
    2. Add a link to your WWE blog post in my comment box, or create a pingback by linking to my post.
    3. Title your post Water Water Everywhere or add WWE tag.

    Hae a guid week 😁

  • Lensball Shots Re-Imagined As AI Artwork in my Fan Of… Series #2

    Lensball Shots Re-Imagined As AI Artwork in my Fan Of… Series #2

    Hi All 👋 Feel free to join this weekly challenge whenever you think, “I’m a fan of…” (see below for how-to).

    This is also my post for Terri’s Sunday Stills: Editing.

    This time, Lensy’s getting the Hot Mods treatment.

    FROM REAL PHOTOS TO COLLABORATIVE AI ARTWORK: MY EXPERIMENT WITH AI ART

    I used this shot of the Clackmannan Bridge as my baseline shot for my first re-imagining.

    Lensball shot of Clackmannan Bridge
    Lensball shot of Clackmannan Bridge

    My idea for this shot was to have a dragon guarding the bridge.

    Dragon guarding bridge
    Dragon guarding bridge

    I wasn’t specific enough in the prompt about Lensy, so the AI removed him from the image; back to the prompt

    Dragon in a lensball
    Dragon in a lensball

    My next shots are variations of modifications to Lensy sat on a mossy branch.

    Lensball on a mossy branch
    Lensball on a mossy branch

    I was going for an enchanted forest setting with runic symbols/glyphs. I was happy withy the outcome for these.

    Next up, Alloa Tower House gets the Hot Mod treatment.

    Lensball shot of Alloa Tower House.
    Lensball shot of Alloa Tower House.

    Again, staying with the mystical/enchanted theme.

    Clackmannan Tower gets a similar treatment.

    Lensball shot of Clackmannan Tower
    Lensball shot of Clackmannan Tower

    For these, I was trying for a fusion of old & futuristic. I designed the prompt so that the image inside Lensy was an old-style, mystical tower, whilst outside was a futuristic world.

    The first re-imagining combined old/futuristic within the lensball, so back to the prompt. The others came out pretty well.

    THE EVOLVING ART OF PROMPT ENGINEERING IN AI-GENERATED ARTWORK

    Prompt engineering is an evolving function; for the same prompt, you will get different outputs from different photos. The prompt needs to be tweaked constantly to fit the original photo & the desired outcome. So, join me over the next few weeks as I delve further into the world of prompt engineering & artwork manipulation.

    Come back next week to see how a simple shot of some snowdrops…

    Snowdrops
    Snowdrops

    …led to a tottie wee bit of an obsession & the following end result.

    Snowdrop sculpture
    Snowdrop sculpture

    JOIN THE ‘FAN OF…’ CHALLENGE

    How To Join In

    1. Create a Fan Of… Photo Post.
    2. Add a link to your Fan of… blog post in my comment box or create a pingback by linking to my post.
    3. Title your post Fan Of… or add a Fan Of… tag.

    Hae a guid week 😁

  • Straiton Pond #2 for Water Water Everywhere #210

    Straiton Pond #2 for Water Water Everywhere #210

    Hi All 👋 Feel free to join in whenever you have a water picture to post (any type of water, in any state, will do). See below for how to join the fun

    My next series will feature Straiton Pond, near Loanhead, just outside of Edinburgh.

    This is also my post for CMMC: Pick a Topic From My Photo, Carol’s Thursday Trios, & John’s Cellpic Sunday.

    Swans on Straiton Pond
    Swans on Straiton Pond

    How To Join In

    1. Create a Water Water Everywhere Photo Post.
    2. Add a link to your WWE blog post in my comment box, or create a pingback by linking to my post.
    3. Title your post Water Water Everywhere or add WWE tag.

    Hae a guid week 😁

  • Cold Winter’s Sun Illuminates Empty Playpark

    Cold Winter’s Sun Illuminates Empty Playpark

    Hi All 👋 My entry for Debbie’s Six Word Saturday.

    Empty playpark
    Empty playpark

    I decided to transform this into a watercolour using Hot Mods. I went through several prompt amendments to get the end result I was after.

    I liked this first attempt, but wanted some evergreens in thew picture.

    Again, a good outcome, but a touch on the vibrant side, & the original was a cloudless sky.

    Getting closer, a softer light from the sun & back to the original cloudless sky, but the sun is now sitting too high above the horizon; one more go…

    …finally, a lower sun casts longer shadows of an empty playpark on a cold winter’s day.