Today I decided to take a look at macro photography vs synthography using one of my neighbor’s hibiscus flowers. Setting out to take some photographers, this comparison was not my original intent. However, when I started to edit the photos I took with the Sony A1, it dawned on me that I should see what DALL-E 2 might do with the prompt, “90mm Macro photo of a hibiscus stamen.”

The two photos above are actual macro photos of a hibiscus stamen. The three images in the gallery below were generated in DALL-E 2. The prompt used was, “90mm Macro photo of a hibiscus stamen.” Click on the images to see them at their full resolution. The top resolution available out of DALL-E 2 right now is 1024 x 1024 pixels. The images from the Sony A1 began as 14-bit RAW images at 8640 x 5760 pixels and appear here at 3840 x 2160 pixels. They will, by their very nature, be more detailed.

As much as I’ve played with these new natural language image creators, I was still surprised by what DALL-E 2 turned out with such a simple prompt. I can imagine where this is headed when users can prompt quality and aspect ratio. Also, if my lens were a true 2:1 macro, the shots taken would likely have appeared with a similar feel to the ones imagined by the algorithms above. We are entering a very interesting new world with tools like DALL-E 2, Midjourney, and others.

I most certainly plan to keep taking photos for myself. It’s a creative release. A couple more “actual photos” are included for your enjoyment below. Staying ahead of the machines will be a new goal for me. 🙂 But I smell change in the air. Big change.