Jon Sienkiewicz

Can you call Michael H. Steven’s pictures photography? No — no way. In all but a few cases, no camera was involved. Creative imagery? Yeah, that label might work. But where does it fit? Somewhere near the intersection of Photography Parkway and AI Boulevard. Under the blinding neon sign of a mildly demented mind. But is it art?

You stumble into your favorite Starbucks half-awake as you do every morning and WHAM! There's Elvis standing at the end of the counter — fringed shirt, sequined guitar strap and all. You do a quick draw from your iPhone holster while The King patiently waits for his venti peanut butter banana flat white with an extra three pumps of funnel cake syrup, but — damn! — the battery is dead. What do you do? You're missing your chance to join the annals of consumer photojournalism and a shot at certain Instagram history. That's about a zillion Likes being blown to tarnation.

Remix is an AI engine that generates images you can do something with immediately. The gateway enticement is Magic Camera, a snappy app that lets you shoot a selfie, add a text prompt, and simply be amazed. Even if you've become weary from reading about AI this and AI that, go to Magic Camera (it's 100% free) and give it a shot. Link in story below.

Turn mundane everyday subjects into intriguing creative images by distorting surrounding objects in an imaginative way with a Lensbaby Sweet 22. Here's our hands-on review and several images.