058
Clouds and the Random Image
Cloud photography captures reality with random components. From a minimalist perspective, fair-weather clouds appear as dots (1) in the sky, changing shape depending on humidity and air currents. Throughout history (2), they have been associated with fantasy, visualised through the outer gaze and imagined through the inner gaze.
In black-and-white photochemical photography, white clouds against a dark sky were achieved by placing contrast filters (3) in front of the lens. In analogue and digital colour photography, the contrast between white clouds and the blue sky is enhanced using a polarizing filter (4).
Any visual communication tool can be used to create cloud images. Mastery of pictorial techniques has allowed artists to depict cloudy skies inspired by real formations. Digital processing makes modifying cloud shapes in photographs easier by using virtual brushes. Furthermore, AI-based photographic techniques will always be able to generate fictional clouds through the use of pseudo-random numbers (5).
References
Texts
- 1. 057 El punt, la mínima expressió visual / The dot, the minimum visual expression
- 2. Gombrich, E.H. (2002) Arte e Ilusión: Estudio sobre la psicología de la representación pictórica. Madrid: Editorial Debate, S. A.(Títol original: Art and Illusion. A Study in the Psycology of Pictorial Representation. 1959). P. 154.
Gombrich reflexiona sobre les especulacions del filòsof pitagòric Apolinio amb el seu company Damis, en el capítol La imagen en las nubes. “[…] pero, ¿que me dices de las cosas que vemos en el cielo cuando las nubes van a la deriva, de los centauros y ciervos y antílopes y lobos y caballos?…¿Es acaso Dios un pintor que en sus horas de ocio se divierte de ese modo?” No, concuerdan los dos, aquellas formas de las nubes no tienen por sí mismas significado, surgen por mero azar; somos nosotros los que estamos inclinados por naturaleza a la imitación y que articulamos aquellas nubes […]”.
- 3. Stroebel, L.; Zakia, R. (1993) Encyclopedia of Photography. Boston: Focal Press. P. 306.
“Filters used in black-and-white photography to alter the tonal record of selected colors in a scene relative to their surroundings. The tone may be darkened or lightened by using a contrast filter of the complementary or same color, respectively. Thus, for a red subject on a green background, a red filter would lighten red and darken green, while a green filter would have the reverse effect ”.
- 4. Stroebel, L.; Zakia, R. (1993) Encyclopedia of Photography. Boston: Focal Press. P. 309.
“A linear polarizing filter is one of neutral density appearance but that consists of a layer of suitably aligned polymer molecules made optically active so that only light waves vibrating in one plane are transmitted and those at a right angle to the this plane are blocked. Light at intermediate angles is partially transmitted […] The filter can be used with […] darken a blue sky by removing the light polarized by scattering; and increase contrast in a scene by removal of surface reflections”.
- 5. Oxford Reference [en línia]. pseudo-random numbers. Disponible a: < https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100352263> (Data Consulta: 16 de febrer de 2024)
“Numbers generated by a mathematical formula which has the property that the generated numbers appear to be independent observations from a uniform distribution. Depending on the context, the distribution is usually a continuous uniform distribution on the interval (0, 1), or a discrete uniform distribution on the integers 0, 1,…, 9. Pseudo-random numbers are often referred to simply as random numbers (or random digits) […]”.
Images
- Part of a series of clouds made from the courtyard of the house. For a few minutes, the changing shape of a cloud was followed.
Toni Bover, From home, clouds. Vic. 2018.
- The solitary cloud in the third image is the same as the cloud below the first two images. The clouds are as they were captured, without any modification.
Toni Bover, From home, clouds. Vic. 2018.