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Ok, it's a llama not a dog and it is much friendlier than a guard dog would be.   Anyway, it is fun to see these guys wandering around amidst the tourists at Machu Picchu.

What an amazing site it was!   It has been on my bucket list for many years and it was worth the time, expense and effort to finally see Machu Picchu in all its glory.  

Here are a few more 'under the sea' shots from my recent snorkeling in Galapagos.  Camera used is the Olympus TG-6 which is good for underwater depths with no special casing.

Getting between the Galapagos Islands was done on the luxury yacht Infinity.  Getting to and from the ship each days was done by dinghy, some days with a dry landing and others as a wet landing on a beach.  Here are a few of my favourite shots from on and off the Infinity.

This photo doesn't do justice to the beauty of this Spotted Eagle Ray, lying by the ocean floor.  If I had scuba gear, I would have dove down to get a better shot, but the wet suit and salt water made it difficult for this snorkeler to dive down to any significant depth below the surface.

The good news is that I was able to swim in the ocean with a pair of white-tipped, reef sharks while snorkeling off Floreana Island in the Galapagos.  The bad news is that the underwater camera I was using couldn't get a clear photo of the sharks.  The was a strong current flow through the middle of an outcrop called The Devil's Crown and it was kicking up sand.  

I wanted to see if Midjourney AI knew what Santa was up to so asked for a few renderings.  In these images, Santa is checking his list and delivering presents.  It is a busy time for this fellow!

When I used to travel on business I would always return home from a new location with a snow globe for my children.  They had quite a collection.  So I asked Midjourney to render me a Christmas snow globe.  I can't say I have ever seen a snow globe that large and am sure I wouldn't have been able to fit such a globe in my suitcase!

 More Christmas-themed AI artwork.  Time to get the tree set up and decorated.

This ai-generated art was inspired by a 'real' photograph imagined and shot on his camera by my good friend, Raymond.  I took Ray's idea and asked Midjourney AI what it could do.

With the sad announcement this morning of a very dear friend's passing, I thought a smile would come in handy.  This street scene of the little boy chasing the balloon was rendered by Midjourney AI.

This month's photo assignment from the Grimsby Photo Group is called "Seeing Red".  With that in mind, I grabbed my iPhone 14 Pro Max and ventured off to a nearby car show.  Here are a couple of red vehicles that I found there.  

Today's post is a step back from the AI-generated images with a simple photograph I took on Sunday with my iPhone.  The leading lines take your eyes from the cart path around the curve and into the photo.  No AI in this one! 

I have been playing with Midjourney AI for weeks now and it has been a blast asking for images.  But my skills using AI need much more work.  I was reading this week about asking Midjourney's ability to  render double exposures and stained glass.  Wow!  

In keeping with the minimalist images I posted yesterday, I decided to have a go with my iPhone.  This one had three challenges: 1. cutting the construction paper at the right angle to give a 3D illusion, 2. getting the egg to stay standing long enough to take the photo, 3. positioning a light source to get the shadow in the right spot.  Photo was taken in Apple RAW with iPhone 14 Pro Max and edited slightly in Luminar NEO to remove blemishes.

Here's a lighter post today from Midjourney AI.  This handsome pair of ducks features the fellow on the right in a plaid shirt and overalls.  Love the look!

Sometimes I like to give Midjourney a single word or small phrase prompt to see what it will render.  In this case I asked Midjourney to produce me an image that showed "Joy" and this is what it came up with.  Note that I need no 'model release' to use this 'photo' as the person does not exist.  Also, if anyone (including me) tries the same prompt "Joy", Midjourney will produce a different image.  

Yesterday's blog entry showed how images generated by Midjourney can take you to a different place and time, most interesting if it reflects an important point in your life.  Here are two more images that I asked Midjourney to create for me.  They remind me of when I sat atop Mount Kilimanjaro watching the sunrise over the Serengeti and an Acacia tree like the ones I saw while on photo safari in East Africa.  Thanks for the memories, Midjourney!  

In keeping with the sports action shots from yesterday, here is a Midjourney AI picture of a baseball player sliding in to home.

  Sitting with my hockey-playing grandson, we decided to ask the Midjourney AI engine to give us a photo of a 10 year old boy in a black jersey scoring a goal.  This is what Midjourney produced.