Artificial Intelligence Comes To Photoshop

On May 23rd, Adobe made a monumental announcement—quite possibly the biggest in its history. Their new Beta release of Photoshop incorporates the revolutionary power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and has the potential to reshape the industry. What sets this software apart is its ability to edit by typing in prompts. Imagine simply typing in your desired visual element, and the software generates three AI-produced renditions—be it a graphic or a photograph. You can choose the one you prefer and even run the process again to create more refined versions.

You can also remove elements from a photo which is as important as adding things. If there's an area or item you wish to remove, simply highlight it, and use the new remove tool. AI takes into account the entire scene and replaces or fills in the missing elements. Look at the first image below - you see overhead wires and a parking sign that compromise the picture.

Look at the result - the overhead wires and parking sign in front of the tree are gone, but not only that - AI has repaired the building and tree so that you would never know those elements were ever there.

Let’s look at the reverse scenario where you want to add something to the picture instead of removing it. In the photo below I wanted to add a hat to the head of the gentleman in the blue shirt. I prompted the program to “add a hat” and it gave me several options. After a few attempts, I managed to achieve a somewhat satisfactory result, with the hat style and color I desired.

First hat

Second hat - notice that AI even adds in the necessary shadows based on the ambient lighting

Below I asked AI to remove a woman's sunglasses, which I didn’t think it would be able to do. In my opinion, it did a commendable job.

These are terrific examples but what I learned while working with the software is that when faced with more complex challenges the tool struggled significantly. Below is an example of where it struggled. I wanted to add furniture to this empty room so I mapped out an area and prompted it to add a bed - providing a very specific description.

I didn’t get the bed I wanted and despite repeated tries it could not deliver. I pressed on, asking for two matching light oak bedside tables and indicated where I wanted them.

As you can see below they aren’t light oak, they don’t match, and they aren’t the correct size.

The bottom line is that while AI in Photoshop is not yet ready for professional use, it holds immense promise and will undoubtedly become a game changer with time. In my experience to date, it succeeds about 70% of the time. It struggles with more complex requests and often the trained eye can see errors and imperfections that make it unsuitable for high quality work.

However impressive it is, it's crucial to acknowledge that, like any technology, this has potential downsides if used improperly. Irresponsible usage could foster misinformation and ill will. Consider the implications of adding a scar to someone's face in a lawsuit, potentially distorting the truth. Similarly, replacing a background with a location the person never visited or inserting someone into groups of unfamiliar people raises ethical concerns.

As AI progresses into the future, it will undoubtedly become an incredible tool. The ability to edit and transform images with simple text prompts will democratize photo editing, for better or worse. While many of you may have never used Photoshop or considered editing a photo, the day may soon come when it becomes accessible to everyone. AI is bound to stimulate both creativity and concerns. I would love to hear your thoughts on this exciting development.

Shupe Studios Featured in South Shore Home, Life & Style

I was honored to have my photography published in a recent article in South Shore Home, Life & Style magazine about a magnificent home built in challenging location. As always, I planned out a storyline and returned multiple times to capture each aspect of the house with the right light. From sunlight making a pattern on the kitchen floor to the relaxed, tranquil mood of their back deck, everything was planned and photographed with a purpose. Planning even extended to where and how the work might be utilized. For example, I shot some views in an additional vertical format to provide the option for cover shots.

The story follows below – it is interesting, and I hope you will take a look.

Cohasset’s rocky coastline is one of the town’s most distinctive features and its scenic outcroppings make for a dramatically beautiful landscape. On one particular peninsula of land, sits a beautiful custom home, nestled into the ledge and surrounded by conservation land. 

“I actually had three clients who considered building on this site,” says architect Steve Meyers, of Studio Meyers Architecture in Hingham. He first sketched out plans for the “peninsula house” back in 2008, but for various reasons the buyer’s plans had fallen through. Ten years later, Hingham residents Don and Elyse Ryan came across the property while searching for a home by the water where they could retire one day. When local realtor Gail Bell showed them a copy of Meyers’ hand drawn sketch, they were immediately interested.

At the time, all that stood on the land was a tiny two-bedroom cabin with no heat. The parents of two sons, the Ryans knew that they would need a bigger house to fit their family. While the idea of building on the rocky landscape was intimidating, they saw potential in the spectacular location. They were also excited for the opportunity to work with a design team to construct a custom home from the ground-up.

Local builder Matthew Falconeiri, principal and owner of Falconeiri Construction, was recommended by Meyers for the project. “We had several builders bid on the job,” says the homeowner. “Matthew is a really smart, honest, down-to-earth guy and everything turned out just as we had hoped. People who come to visit us always comment about how well built the home is, from its solid construction to the finish work.” 

“Our company specializes in custom homes,” says Falconeiri. “This project was definitely one of our more challenging builds because of the very limited footprint.” The first floor of the home had to be no wider than the prior home had been. To add more living space to the new home, Falconeiri’s team cantilevered out the second level by several feet.

The builders worked closely with Rivermoore Structural Engineering in Scituate to construct the home’s steel frame and secure it into the ledge. Another challenge of the waterfront location were the tides. “We knew that during certain lunar high tides the seawater could potentially rise quite high,” says Falconeiri. To solve this problem, the foundation of the home was designed like a Roman aqueduct, with a series of stone arches that allow the water to flow right beneath the home.”

The interior of the home features a plethora of woodwork and a very nautical feel. Designed as an “upside down” house, there are three guest bedrooms located on the lower level, while the master bedroom and main living areas are located up a flight of stairs on the second level. A great room connects the open kitchen and living room areas and features a vaulted ceiling and expansive glass windows all around.

“There is easily a 300-degree view of the water,” says Falconeiri. “The home also has a lot of curves, which plays off the ocean waves. The home’s eyebrow windows were all prefabricated and had to be hoisted up. They were absolute monsters to put in.” On the third level of the home, there is an office loft and a cozy den with more spectacular views. Interior decorator Janet Shea of Janet Shea Interiors worked closely with the homeowners to design decor for the home and Faneuil Kitchen Cabinet constructed the home’s beautiful chef kitchen. Sean Papich Landscape Architecture worked on the home’s surrounding hardscaping and landscaping features. 

The Ryan family moved into their Little Harbor home in the fall of 2018. “We pinch ourselves every day,” says Ryan, reflecting about how it feels to live in their new home. “We get to see the sunrise every morning and the harbor has become an extension of our home. We love to swim, fish, boat, paddle board and kayak. You can even catch striped bass right off the dock.” On warm spring evenings, the Ryans love sitting by the firepit on their back deck, firing up the grill and soaking up the salty air. “The views of the harbor are amazing,” says Ryan. “You feel like you’re on vacation.” 

Click Here to View This Article on the South Shore Home Website

Shupe Studios Can Help You Tell the Right Story

If you are an architect, Realtor, builder, or engineer you need the right story to connect with your audience. It may be the story of a property’s unique environment and architecture, like this one, or it may be something else altogether. Whatever the objective, when I’m shooting, I’m not simply taking a series of pictures; instead, I tell a story.

On every project I offer two important services at no charge to you:

- A free brainstorming session to identify the right story.

- A free pre-shoot walk-through to stage shots, and identify opportunities to get the perfect narrative

At Shupe Studios our goal is to wow your audience. If you’re in the Boston area or greater New England, I hope you’ll reach out to me.

ShupeStudios Turns 40

Forty years ago this month in 1983, I started my business, originally called Freelance PhotoImages. I was fresh out of college and due to the November 1982 recession recently released from an assistant position with a well-known Newbury Street photographer. To keep up cash flow, I spent the next four months bartending, stocking shelves at Toys “R” Us, and helping out at a mom-and-pop color lab called Panna Photo which offered large format prints. One of their clients used the lab to print tradeshow prints, and after learning I was an RIT grad, offered me a job shooting their products. While I had all the necessary camera equipment, I didn’t have the required lighting equipment needed in the days of film. At the time, the equipment cost a substantial sum which I didn’t have, but a family friend offered to loan me the money.

I remember talking with my girlfriend (wife now) explaining that I was thinking of borrowing the funds, buying the lights, and going into business. I reasoned that we had very little debt, no car payments, no mortgage, and no children. What was there to lose? She agreed, and the business was born.  

From day one, I decided to do only corporate work – no weddings, bar mitzvahs, or anything of that nature. I offered lifestyle, product, and architectural photography, plus executive portraiture. My marketing strategy was straightforward – offer a superior product at a fair price and deliver it on time. It worked. A year later, after marrying Deb, we purchased the Framingham house, which had an unfinished 28’x48’ two-story garage next to it. We spent the next few years building out the garage and turning it into a first-class studio. It had 11-foot ceilings, a dressing room/bathroom, and large office/conference area on the 2nd floor. I did all the construction myself with the help of friends. I was bootstrapping and financed all construction materials from business profits as they came in. No additional loans.

In the high-tech heyday, I was knee-deep in product photography, and the studio got a lot of use. I also did a lot of location shooting, frequently setting up in a conference room or on the production floor. Business thrived until the internet bubble burst, and it was clear that my company had to adapt. I researched moving into digital photography, which was still in its infancy, but I clearly saw the benefits. To go digital meant a $50,000.00 investment that could be obsolete in a year, given the rapid pace of technology. However, it took out the middlemen making digital film scans, and I’d have much more control.

In 2000 I took the leap when Nikon came out with its first professional DSLR. Along with it I purchased a top-of-the-line Mac computer and editing software. Digital allowed me complete control from concept to deliverable – and no film lab to screw things up. I did one last job on 4 x 5 film and have never looked back.

At about the same time, it became increasingly clear I should specialize. So, I threw a virtual dart at the wall, and it landed on Architectural Photography. That ended up being a really good dart. Soon after, we went through another recession, which put a lot of studio/product photographers out of business. Ironically, commercial construction has a seven-year cycle - concept to occupancy. That meant many of the buildings I was shooting were completed in the peak years of the recession. Fortunately, I learned that while people were willing to forego product photography, an architect or builder would not cut corners when photographing their multi-million-dollar buildings. Even the smaller firms who were stretched thin on their projects knew they had to look like the big guys when it came to marketing, so using a good professional photographer was an expense they were willing to incur. Hence my business weathered the storm.

As my business evolved, I decided to rename it - transitioning from Freelance PhotoImages to ShupeStudios. The word Freelance didn’t have the professional connotation I wanted, and I learned there was another PhotoImages out there. The name was right when I launched the business; however, the time was right to professionalize the name while making it more personal; and I rebranded as ShupeStudios. People liked the new name, it rolls off the tongue, and is easy to remember – I’m glad I made the switch. This is what my new logo looked liked like for many years but as you can see from the top of this post its evolution continues.

In 2020, with my children out of college, we decided to downsize out of our beloved Framingham house/studio. The house was too big, and shooting primarily architectural work, the studio was not getting used. On occasion, when I do studio work, I can use other spaces but most of the time all concerned find it easier to shoot at the client’s location.

You may ask where I anticipate going from here. The short answer is that I love my job, so plan to keep shooting. I’m always learning, always improving, always seeking out new technology.

One of the few things that has not changed is my marketing strategy which is as good today as it was 40 years ago – offer a superior product at a fair price and deliver it on time.  

Forty years later, and the best is yet to come.

With that said, let me close with the question I always ask my clients - How can I help you today?

Gregg

How to Combine Photography and Photoshop for a Creative Holiday Card

My grandmother taught me the joy of sending holiday cards when I was about seven years old. She said making one’s own card was a way to share your creativity and to put a smile on people’s faces. My first card had a live pine twig with a drawn ornament below it. I remember that envelope being a bit thick and uneven. Over the years, I have kept this tradition alive as a way to stay connected to friends, colleagues, and clients from around the world. It is my way of reaching out and thanking people I care about while adding a little fun to the season. Let me show you the behind the scenes of how I created it.

The cover this year was simple and traditional. An ornament passed down from my great grandmother’s family. I worked on lighting and composition to give the ornament an effect of almost floating in space.

The inside imagery is a bit more complex and is composed of four separate and distinct images - three from our trip to Iceland this year. The first image captures Icelandic horses galloping in southern Iceland adjacent to the Seltún hot springs.

The second is a lovely shot from one of our Airbnbs as we criss-crossed the country.

At another Airbnb in Iceland, the owner provided cereal and milk for breakfast. When I saw this milk bottle, I couldn’t resist and took it outside for an extraordinary photograph. I knew I’d find a way to eventually use it.

The last picture came not from Iceland but from Gloucester. This is a freshly made slice of apple pie photographed in natural light on a plate from the former Gloucester Ocean View Inn and Resort.

Here is the final composite image, which entailed removing the fence posts, silhouetting the pie and plate, the milk bottle, and stone, and subsequently dropping them onto the background. Adding the horses and merging the grass took a bit of finesse.

John Salozzo, (a friend, retoucher, and pioneer Photoshop composer) and I worked on a few cards together in the early days. He liked to include family members, especially our children into the cards. Which in one form or another, I have continued to this day.

The back of the card is composed of 7 images. The background is a glacier at the Jökulsárlón Lagoon near Vatnajökull National Park in Iceland. The images include my children - the wedding of my son Ben and his wife Alex, and Kristen and her horse. The pie making images are all from Gloucester, while the background of the pie recipe was picked from one of the apples.

I think my grandmother would like that I’ve kept her tradition alive. She would have loved that the card included family, a little creativity, and a heartfelt message. Even more, she would have hoped, as do I, that it brought smiles to you and your family.

ShupeStudios Best Photographs of 2022 - People and Places

One of the many things I love about being a professional photographer are the people I meet and the places it takes me. Looking back at 2022 I thought you might enjoy seeing this year’s top ten. Since most of my work tends toward architectural photography, my favorites begin with buildings.

Home

Houses are buildings of course, but they’re a little but different. The interesting thing about houses is that people take them, stamp them with their personality, and make them uniquely their own. In the process a house becomes a home. Here are a few of my favorites - places uniquely called “home.”

People at Work

We spend a big part of our lives at work, but since we do it everyday we think of it as commonplace and unremarkable. However what we do is quite remarkable, and I love recording it. Here are two of my favorites.

The Horizon

One of the amazing things about the times we live in are views we have, that no person could have experienced 120 years ago. The first flight hadn’t taken place and there were no skyscrapers. If you wanted a birds eye view the best you could do was hike up a mountain. You couldn’t look out your window and see for miles, and you certainly couldn’t look down on a city from the sky.

Man’s Best Friend

The bond between man and dog is a unique one. Our dogs are always so happy to see us and so excited to go out and play. They never fail to put a smile on our face and I never pass up the opportunity to catch a dog doing what they do best - having fun.

2022 was a year unlike any other with unique events, challenges, ups and downs - and a whole lot more. I’ve been very privileged to capture a small part of our world and thank all of you for that opportunity. I look forward to 2023 and my best wishes to you for a wonderful year – hopefully the best yet.

Sincerely,
Gregg

Using Depth of Field for Better Photos

A hallmark of professional photography is that the photographer isn’t just creating an image but he/she is directing your eye where to go in that image. In a simple photo you might be able to do that with composition alone, but in most cases you need to define the focal point via depth of field. In other words, what the photographer wants to you see is in focus, and everything else is out of focus.

Looking at the image below notice below that the boats are in focus while the foreground and background are blurry — your eye knows right where to go and it makes a much more interesting photo.

In this image, the entire kitchen is in focus – foreground, middle ground, and background. Although you might focus on the faucet because of its prominence, your eye is not being given a strong clue where to go.

Let's take a different approach, say you were a manufacturer and wanted people to focus on the microware. Adjusting the depth of field so the faucet is out of focus and the back wall is in focus makes a significant difference in how you experience the photo. Your eye is drawn to the microwave and it becomes the star of the picture with everything else playing a supporting role.

In the following two photos notice the subtle difference depth of field creates. In the first case the foreground and background are equally in focus, but in the second, the foreground, left side and background are blurred, drawing your eye toward the pool table and fireplace.

Here is another example where the photographer wants to draw your eye toward the middle ground, but in a larger space. Where does your eye go and what do you focus on first? The lamp and red bean bag chairs.

The Traditional Way

Historically photographers created the depth of field and focal points we’ve demonstrated using different lenses and aperture settings. This works just fine but the downside is that it is baked into the photo. You don’t have any flexibility to alter it. If someone decided they wanted the faucet or blue chairs in the images above to be most prominent it would mean re-shooting.

A Better Way

A more flexible way to handle depth of field is to shoot images with a full depth of field and then electronically blur images to create the desired effect. In all the photos you see here we have utilized this technique. This work is typically done by your graphic designer in post production and provides flexibility in your marketing efforts. If you don’t have a graphic designer we can handle it for you as an add-on to our typical post production work.

The Most Bang for you Buck

At ShupeStudios, we've adopted the protocol of shooting most images with a long depth of field to give your marketing team and designers the greatest flexibility in utilizing our photos. Using just one shot, a designer can create multiple images, each with different focal points, giving you more options while reducing costs. This is another example of using technology to give our clients the most for their money.

If you are looking for great architectural photography and maximum flexibility with depth of field, we’re here to help. Now is the time to plan for spring and summer photography of commercial buildings, residential structures, interiors, or landscapes. Give me a call and let’s take a look at your marketing calendar. I look forward to working with you!

The Christmas Gift that Propelled a Kid’s Future

When I was in Junior High, I dabbled with the guitar, including lessons at the YMCA and photography using my parent’s Pentax camera. As Christmas approached that year, I made my list asking for money to go towards either a guitar or camera. I was leaning towards a camera - the hot new Olympus OM-1. As we opened our presents on Christmas morning, I realized that my parents and grandparents had placed checks and cash into an assortment of festive boxes and wrappings throughout my gifts. In dribs and drabs, I saw enough money coming in that maybe, just maybe, I’d have enough. As soon as I could, I bolted to my room with my Christmas money, pulled out cash I had saved from summer jobs, and began counting. Dollar by dollar, I counted until there it was - I had enough to buy the Olympus OM-1!

Some of my first “architectural photography” as a kid

At that time, Hunt’s Drug of Malden (now called Hunt Camera) was open 365 days a year. I convinced my parents to drive me down there that Christmas afternoon to buy my very first camera.  The OM-1 was perfect, and I used it almost every day until I got to the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). I was always thankful to Hunt’s Drug for being open that Christmas day.

One of my first Holiday compositions with the OM-1

In the years following, Hunt’s Drug became my go-to camera store. As I prepared to leave for college, I learned that RIT wanted incoming photography students to have a 4x5 view camera. So, with the money I had saved from my part-time job at Balston Filter Company, I went back down to Hunt’s Drug to buy an inexpensive 4x5 view camera. It was a quiet weekday, and the owner was there. He overheard me reminiscing about my first camera purchase there on Christmas and that I was back to buy a 4x5 view camera. I explained that I was leaving for college and had just enough money for a basic unit. The owner paused and said, “ hold on, I might have something better.” He went out back and returned with a Sinar 4x5 kit. Sinar is a high-end Swiss manufacturer, the Porsche of view cameras. He said to me, “It has been out back collecting dust, the person who ordered it backed out. An no takers since.” He sold it to me for the funds I had on hand. At RIT, everyone gawked at my amazing camera. Even the school had only one in their inventory.

Yours truly showing some of my early work as an undergrad

As college ended, I wound up with all-new equipment in a way I could not have foreseen. About three weeks before graduation from RIT, our apartment in Rochester was broken into. The thief took my Sinar and my Nikon cameras, plus my roommate’s 2 ¼ Hasselblad system. They left the stereo. The police said it looked like one of our fellow students planned to set up a studio with our equipment. We never saw it again. But the insurance payment enabled me to start my career with the latest Nikon camera equipment. It goes without saying; I purchased it from Hunt’s Drug.

Fast forward to last month. Nikon announced a new camera with a dynamic range larger than my present equipment. The mirrorless Z9. It is a fantastic camera for Pros only and nearly impossible to obtain. Off I went to Hunt Camera, who worked miracles, and as soon as it is released, I’ll be at the head of the line to receive this superb piece of equipment.

That gift propelled this kid into a 40 plus year career as a leading edge professional photographer

Looking back over these many years, it’s amazing to think about the power of a gift or a small act of kindness. Consider a business owner who reached into his own pocket to help a kid on his way to college or a business that has come through for me time after time during my career. We often think of the Holidays as a time for presents – and of course, it is. But even more so, it is the opportunity to give a gift – something with the power to fascinate, inspire, and lift us up. Gifts can be for fun, or they can move mountains. That ride to Hunt’s on Christmas day so many years ago lit a spark, launched a career, and changed the trajectory of my life. It was a Christmas gift that propelled a kid’s future.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All

Gregg