David_Cavan

If you are definitely not using icloud but have it because of the Apple devices insisting you need it, it can be turned off for photos and videos completely by turning off all the options. Go to Settings>Photos and turn off all the options. The device will warn you that you're about to destroy the universe as you know it, but basically it just stops devices from uploading to icloud every time you take a picture. Then log into icloud.com using your apple id, go to photos, and delete everything there. Again, the universe will end if you believe the messages, but it won't touch the photos on your devices. Having said that, you need a backup plan for those photos unless you're comfortable with losing them. It sounds as if you have that by putting the photos on your hard drive. There are useful instructions on this Apple page https://support.apple.com/en-ca/102179 Like others have said I use icloud to temporarily backup my photos I take on my iphone, then log ioto icloud and download them onto my Windows computer. I then delete them all on icloud regularly. It's like having a post office box for my pictures, and emptying it regularly.

Very similar to what I went through. I didn't work at it too hard when it came back, changes in my personal life and the availability of new tools coupled with new tools got me started, and then I found some things that I wanted to get better at. I don't consider the years off as a loss, more an opportunity for new reasons to get back into photography. Its now 20 years since that reboot, and the joy is still real.

Just wondering, which tools did he use?

Wow. Some dedicated photographers there. Beautiful results.

At $5,500 finding that market is probably going to be a challenge. It will be interesting, for sure.

Agreed. Barry is a pain, isn't he.

Agreed! And the deals on 2nd hand Canon DSLRs are amazing. I bought a 7D last fall for $800 (Canadian), with less than 5000 actuations. I now have 2 identical 7D bodies so switching in mid-session is a breeze. It came with the complete brand-new kit. I'm at a place where I know I'll upgrade in the next 5 years maybe, 10 for sure. But there's no rush.

I assume it's someone who takes photographs. With whatever they have at hand.

My screwdriver is way better than your screwdriver. That's what I hear when I see these threads trundle along. The hardware, the camera, is a tool. Sometimes, in some situations one works better. But it's worth about 30 seconds of consideration and then a real photographer would move on to doing their thing. And, BTW, the smartphone, and the smartphone user, do not care for a nano-second about our opinions about hardware. They are out there happily gathering pictures while we do this.

Thanks. That's a good point actually. I have always approached photography as a story-telling tool. One of the best compliments I ever received was from a photographer colleague who commented over beers that I liked to tell stories with my pictures - and we had never discussed that before so it was very satisfying that someone had picked up on that. I find AI helps with that on a project - you can fill in gaps with an image that depicts a time that is long gone, as is the opportunity to get that shot that would help in the story.

AI images are no doubt going to cause some real disruption, but so have a lot of other things and photography still exists. I use it now to create photo-realistic views of cars on tracks, and as the OP says if I will occasionally include them in a project, with a very clear statement that this is an AI image, not an original photograph. Interestingly I have not received any pushback from customers or viewers, so far it's mostly curiosity and a few requests for more images. One very personal anecdote - my wife owned a Chevy II back in the 70s and to this day it was her favorite car. She had no pictures, so asked me to create some once she saw midjourney in action. I created it, asking for a 70's style marketing image with the car on the streets of Vancouver. It came out very well in my opinion. She is so happy with this result, using it as a backdrop in some of her craft stuff. This image was impossible to obtain otherwise, and it has brought so much joy to a person who is fighting cancer and associated conditions every day. I'm so glad I could do this for her - no guilt whatsoever.

I shot the annual finale for a motorsports series at a track about 5 hours drive from my home this past weekend. On the way I tripped over a dead deer on the highway early in the morning, and almost wrecked my car. Once I got my nerves together I stopped to call the police to tell them about the carcass with a suggestion that it should get moved. The dispatcher immediately knew that I was some distance from the spot where the deer was as I had given him a milepost to find it. His description of where he thought I was within a few hundred yards. At that point I realized any concerns about privacy are pipe dreams at best.