Newsletter

Mitchel Lensink

Systemic thinker, photographer, writer.
Newsletter

Closer

An experiment where AI describes one of my photos and generates a new image from its description.

Photography in the Age of AI: Lessons From 25 Weeks of Experimentation →

Over 25 weeks, I tested whether AI can match the emotion and imperfection of human photography. The results? AI is fast and functional but still sterile. Here’s what this experiment reveals about the future of photography in the age of AI.

Closer #024 →

The soul of an image can not and will not be generated by computers. Humans create human experiences. Humans connect to human experiences. Computers are mimicking that very closely, but you can always tell.

Closer #023 →

Whatever time I have left, I spend wrecking my brain over the conclusions of this soon-to-be 25 weeks of AI-experimentation. It's taking shape, albeit slowly, and this week is very helpful with that.

Closer #022 →

We're slowly reaching conclusions in the final weeks of this experiment. Now is the time to share your suggestions if you still want to become part of it.

Closer #021 →

To bring the 2025 series of Closer to a fruitful end, bestowed upon us is the opportunity to revisit its first editions. A newly release GPT-5 Prompting Guide breathes new life into our previously tried tests.

Closer #020 →

GPT-5 is out and underwhelming. Our mini six-week experiment has come to an end. There's only five more regular editions of this newsletter before we wrap up with some preliminary conclusions in edition #25.

Closer #019 →

GPT-5 is out! That's just in time for the last edition of our 6-week experiment using the same image. I'm curious to find out of this new model brings any improvements.

Closer #018 →

The second-to-last edition of this experiment within an experiment, where AI gets to not only describe the image, and then generate an image based on said description, but also determine how to describe the image. Succes, finally?

Closer #017 →

After this week, there's two more editions of the same image being described in different ways. Thankfully, because it's not bringing us anywhere. But that's interesting to note in itself too.

Closer #016 →

We are sixteen weeks into this experiment, and I'm unsure if this is still providing value. This is the third week we let AI decide how to prompt and the results are... well, you be the judge.

Closer #015 →

Week two of our 'experiment within an ongoing experiment' where AI is not only doing the image description and generation, but is also deciding the prompting to get to that description.

Closer #014 →

Hey, so, thought: you know how we're already generating AI-images, based on AI-descriptions of real life images, right? What if... we also asked ChatGPT how to properly ask for those descriptions? Would that make it better?

Closer #013 →

I'm reconsidering my approach, but I'm not sure I'm willing to change it. Not right now. These are still interesting times we live in.

Closer #012 →

Imagine a cat behind a closed door, only paws and nose peeking from under the small crack between the door and the floor. Now imagine it again. How different are those results? Quite a lot, as it turns out.

Closer #011 →

We all know things can get weird in AI image land. But what if you give it a weird image? Will we get twice the weirdness or will they balance each other out?

Closer #010 →

SHOCKER: Asking AI for a direct replication of your work will give you a direct replication of your work. But does it really?

Closer #009 →

Learning that it's the imperfections of our actions causing things to feel real is one of this week's biggest take-aways. And that's something I think we should ponder on for some time.

Closer #008 →

Eight weeks in. Time to evaluate early results and recalibrate accordingly. What other directions should we take this experiment in?