Apple recently updated their iTunes software to include a new Genius feature. . This smart playlist maker analyzes your music collection and makes playlists of songs that ‘go together.’. . It also suggests songs that you don’t have in your library that you may like. . It is all very similar to one of my favorite music services – Pandora. . Pandora is based upon the Music Genome Project.®, which breaks down songs to their most basic elements and tries to match them up with similar songs, ultimately leading to other songs you may like. . . I have discovered a lot of new artists through these types of services, although sometimes I admit to “what the heck were you thinking” moments for particular songs. . But it seems rather silly to have that argument with a computer program doesn’t it?. . But overall, I am generally quite amazed at the accuracy of the recommendations.
As with many things in the music world, I always think about parallels when it comes to photography. The Apple Genius release just got me thinking again about the concept of genome matching and applying it to photographs. . Aside from the general categories of say macro photography or landscape photography that may attract us, there are usually certain elements in a photograph’s design that make it have a stronger appeal over others. Perhaps it is a certain color signature, certain elements of composition, or a unique visual style that trigger that part of our brain to say “I like this.”. . With enough study and analysis of these trends, perhaps it would then be possible, like the genome of a song, to characterize the genome of a photograph.
From there, the possibilities are really endless Think about the amount of time it takes sifting through images on the internet, books, or a walk through an art show. Your brain is constantly sorting what you see into categories – I like this, don’t like that, that’s OK, etc Similarly, it takes a long time to sort through all of the music available to find something you like. . Should the possibility exist to make these similar genomes of a photograph,. it could become incredibly valuable to anyone looking for other images they may like Think about the application to something like interior design, art dealers and consultants, and photo editors. Photographs of a common theme, color palette, or composition may be a few clicks away.
Is there a danger in having our choices preselected for us?. (Edit note: OK poorly worded – no danger in having recommendations offered to you!). For as many recommendations I have received in the music along the same lines of what I already have, I have had just as many that led me off on a slightly different path only to discover new and interesting artists. . . I would have never found them by chance.
Sometimes just goofing around can lead you in some interesting directions. . I was in my backyard trying to photograph these asters with a Lensbaby 3G and a +10 and +4 macro diopter stacked on it. . While I was working around the edges of the flower, I noticed one particular angle had this big moon in the background!. . The Lensbaby was already diffusing the flower quite a bit creating a ethereal glow. How perfect to have this celestial body become part of the composition. . Flower by moonlight. . I became a little concerned because the gravitational pull from this moon being so close was probably going to cause me some issues with subject movement. . I was a little less concerned about how it may be sucking away some of my neighbor’s houses.
