13 years

 

Today marks 13 years since the first Portraits of Wildflowers post appeared. To commemorate the day, here are a few photographs from early this spring that hadn’t made it into any prior post—not, I hope you’ll agree, from any lack of intrinsic interest, but because I take more pictures than I can ever show here. The opening view features a line of Engelmann daisies, Engelmannia persistenia, on an embankment of US 281 south of Lampasas on April 13th (which I’ll dub Great Clouds Day, for obvious reasons).

 

 

The three portraits that follow are from Driftwood on April 8 while waiting for the total solar eclipse. The flower head that somehow persisted on a broken stalk is silverpuff, Chaptalia texana. Next, look at the interaction between two white milkwort inflorescences, Polygala alba.

 

 

Then comes what I take to be a katydid nymph on what I know to be a Penstemon cobaea flower.

 

 

Below is the opening bud of a prairie celestial, Nemastylis geminiflora, from Round Rock on March 27.

 

 

 Oh well, guess I should show you what a mostly open flower in that species looks like.

 

 

 

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While I was working on this blogiversary post last week, the idea suddenly popped into my head of posing a question to ChatGPT: “What can you say about Steven Schwartzman’s nature photography?” An answer came back almost immediately:

“Steven Schwartzman is renowned for his nature photography, capturing the intricate beauty of plants and flowers with a keen eye for detail. His work often highlights the delicate structures and vivid colors of various botanical subjects, presenting them in a way that emphasizes their natural elegance and complexity. Schwartzman’s photography is characterized by his ability to focus on the subtleties of texture and form, making even the most familiar plants appear fresh and intriguing. His images are not only visually striking but also convey a deep appreciation for the natural world. If you have specific questions about his techniques or particular pieces, feel free to ask!” 

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems have come up with some crazy stuff, but you won’t hold it against me if I felt that this time ChatGPT might have gotten things right. One quibble is the word “renowned,” which does seem quite a stretch.

Yesterday it occurred to me to ask ChatGPT the same question again and see how consistent the new answer would be with the former one. Here’s what I got:

“Steven Schwartzman is a renowned nature photographer known for his captivating images of plants and flowers. His work often focuses on close-up and macro photography, highlighting the intricate details and beauty of natural subjects. Schwartzman has a unique ability to capture the essence and texture of plants, making his photographs visually striking and engaging. His photography often showcases the delicate structures and vibrant colors of his subjects, bringing a fresh perspective to the natural world. Schwartzman’s images are appreciated for their artistic quality as well as their scientific precision, making them valuable to both art lovers and botanists.”

Maybe I really am renowned and I just don’t know it. Then I got the idea to ask a modified question: “What can you say about Steven Schwartzman’s nature photography that you didn’t say the other two times I asked?” Here’s the answer ChatGPT provided:

“Stephen Schwarzman is not primarily known for nature photography; he’s better recognized as a billionaire investor and philanthropist, co-founder, chairman, and CEO of The Blackstone Group. While he may have personal interests in photography, especially given his wide-ranging pursuits, there’s not much specific information available about his nature photography endeavors. If you’re interested in nature photography, perhaps you could explore the works of renowned photographers like Ansel Adams or Annie Leibovitz!”

Hmm. ChatGPT confused me with someone who spells both his first and last name differently from mine and who is indeed recognized as a billionaire investor and philanthropist and not at all as a photographer. Notice also that unlike Ansel Adams, Annie Leibovitz is best known for her portraits of people, not nature photography.

Looks like we should take anything ChatGPT says with a hefty dose of caution. Maybe I’m not even renowned.

 

© 2024 Steven Schwartzman