955
submitted 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) by mgenehoffman@sh.itjust.works to c/pics@lemmy.world

I guess some people thought it was AI, but just a cool moment in my basement window well.

Edit: taken with my iPhone several years ago since that’s all I had with me when it happened so quickly.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] k0e3@lemmy.ca 136 points 3 weeks ago
[-] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 50 points 3 weeks ago

I for one, welcome our new pinecone overlord.

[-] Aatube@kbin.melroy.org 20 points 3 weeks ago

in fact i pine over its shining beauty

[-] sprite0@sh.itjust.works 98 points 3 weeks ago

the ai witchhunt gets a bit silly, sorry you got caught up in v it. very cool photo!

[-] BlameTheAntifa@lemmy.world 75 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

I remember trying to warn people on Reddit that their anti-AI crusades were going to hurt real people making real art, especially surrealists, and got banned from a bunch of art subs for being “pro-AI” as a result. Actually, they phrased it in far more hurtful and inflammatory ways, like “advocating theft.” Apparently caring about not hurting real human beings making real human art is “advocating theft.”

I don’t miss Reddit. That place was bad for my mental health.

P.S. This photo is beautiful and I’m happy you had a mind to capture it and share it. Thank you.

[-] jsomae@lemmy.ml 13 points 3 weeks ago

I get these kind of reactions on Lemmy all the time. I say something that isn't the exact party line, people assume I'm their worst enemy even though our disagreement is very minor in the broad scheme.

[-] Jakeroxs@sh.itjust.works 10 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

It's the same shit on lemmy

I was watching a video yesterday where the video author said it was sketchy that another ytber had used an AI voice but still credited the original voice actor the Ai voice was based on, the voice actor also chimed in that they agreed and were still being paid even though the AI voice was being used.

Literally every time I see arguments against AI from creative it's because losing income/stealing, he hit both those and yet that is still not good enough.

The goal posts will ever shift and the rage will never end.

[-] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 8 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

I got banned from a fandom subreddit for pointing out that a certain fan remaster was (partially, with tons of manual work) made with ML models. Specifically with oldschool GANs, and some smaller, older models as part of a deinterlacing pipeline, from before 'generative AI' was even a term.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[-] mgenehoffman@sh.itjust.works 8 points 3 weeks ago

Thank you! And yes, I mean I realize it’s a two sided battle. I legitimately hate gen AI and what it was done to the art world. My current career is in the process of being completely devoured by AI and taking photos is something that brings me a lot of joy and connects me to the real world, so it’s infuriating to have both the loss of my career and denigration of my photography due to AI.

[-] Cethin@lemmy.zip 7 points 3 weeks ago

Well, also AI is hurting actual human beings. We should be fighting against it too. Yeah, be careful of crossfire, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't fire at all.

[-] chunes@lemmy.world 7 points 3 weeks ago

It's the same thing for writing. Use a single emdash and you get accused of using LLMs. It's like, no, I'm literate. I read books. Sorry for paying attention in class..

load more comments (4 replies)
[-] dumbass@quokk.au 63 points 3 weeks ago
[-] Lembot_0004@discuss.online 44 points 3 weeks ago

Eat it for permanent +0 to HP.

[-] dharmacurious@slrpnk.net 12 points 3 weeks ago

Completely unrelated, but tonight I opened an app to look for hotels, and it greeted me with a message that I had a "0% off" coupon for my next booking

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] Couldbealeotard@lemmy.world 44 points 3 weeks ago

To be fair, I totally understand why people think it's AI. Between the phone camera processes and the extreme postprocessing, this looks more deep fried than some memes I've seen. It almost looks like it's got a cartoon filter applied.

Add on the fact that OP is trying hard to down play how much editing has been done, it starts to feel like it doesn't add up. If OP posted the unedited photo to show the bad phone sharpening and admitted how much editing was done on top of that, people would understand what they are looking at.

Don't get me wrong, it looks cool, but when someone says "oh, no I just took this with my phone", I look at that and think that's not the whole truth.

[-] mgenehoffman@sh.itjust.works 18 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Thanks for your meaningful, informed, and helpful contribution.

Of course it’s edited. Pro tip: every image is edited. Nothing anyone sees is raw from the sensor. It’s all completely arbitrary. Even people who shoot film show edited photos, they just offload the editing to the film lab. Someone else is doing the processing for them.

Even direct from a digital camera to jpeg, the camera is performing countless transformations and adjustment s before burning to jpeg. See film emulations on Fuji cameras for example.

The entire point of photography is to present to people a compelling vision that feels the way you did when you saw it.

That being said, this is basic curve and a vignette.

[-] Smc87@lemmy.sdf.org 19 points 3 weeks ago
[-] UntitledQuitting@reddthat.com 8 points 3 weeks ago

+1 OP, I wanna see it without

[-] FluorideMind@lemmy.world 14 points 3 weeks ago

Bro got caught and is trying to say everything is edited.

[-] KingOfTheCouch@lemmy.ca 14 points 3 weeks ago

I mean, it's basic settings in like every fucking phone for the last 15 years? Get over yourselves - you aren't judges at National Geographic photographer of the year, it's a neat pic dude wanted to share.

Let people share neat things.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[-] gleb@lemmy.world 8 points 3 weeks ago

post the original, then.

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[-] anubis119@lemmy.world 43 points 3 weeks ago

I highly doubt AI would properly generate a Fibonacci sequence in the pinecones.

[-] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 43 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)
[-] fckreddit@lemmy.ml 8 points 3 weeks ago

Konnichiwwa.

[-] rbos@lemmy.ca 7 points 3 weeks ago

I gotta check if Laid Back Camp has a new series!

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[-] vxx@lemmy.world 29 points 3 weeks ago

Too much HDR. I can see why they thought it's AI.

Still a nice shot. The composion and framing is nice.

[-] otter@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 3 weeks ago

Composition*, fellow human.

load more comments (2 replies)
[-] mgenehoffman@sh.itjust.works 8 points 3 weeks ago

It’s not HDR. It’s a single shot, slightly underexposed so we don’t lose the highlight detail. The rest of the work could have been done in a physical darkroom. But thank you.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] buddascrayon@lemmy.world 8 points 3 weeks ago

Honestly, deep fried images usually give me a headache but this one is actually pretty nice. I think the horrible HDR gives it a painting like quality.

load more comments (3 replies)
[-] OldManBOMBIN@lemmy.world 21 points 3 weeks ago

I have a mental image of you in a basement sweatshop in Philadelphia- the air is full of smoke and there's a constant barrage of German speeches and gunfire being played over the loudspeaker, broken only by the occasional steam whistle. You take a longing glance out the window, wishing you were on one of the higher floors so you could jump. And there is it.

Pinecone.

[-] pineapplelover@lemmy.dbzer0.com 18 points 3 weeks ago

Welcome to lemmy

[-] surph_ninja@lemmy.world 17 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

The default subs are controlled by people involved with karma farming. Some of them are so bad that the mods will ban anyone with a high number of upvotes to prevent them from competing with the bots.

Funny enough, I bet the same mods will let a bot repost your pic in a few months.

[-] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 17 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Looks like AI to me. Why are there pinecone reflections on what appears to be a concrete wall in the back?

I'd love to see another photo of this basement window well.

[-] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 39 points 3 weeks ago

You answered your own question. It’s a window well. It’s glass.

[-] mgenehoffman@sh.itjust.works 25 points 3 weeks ago

It’s several panes of glass. Glass is reflective.

[-] cm0002@lemmy.world 20 points 3 weeks ago

It's not, the needles or whatever are way to consistent, even in the darker areas. AI would have fucked all that up

Also, it's a basement well window, I have one of these as well. So OP would be standing on the side of the window in his house and the pinecone is on the other side in the fire escape well

Think of it like looking into a really big terrarium

[-] Aatube@kbin.melroy.org 16 points 3 weeks ago

that’s exactly why it’s not AI. AI wouldn’t replicate the glass half-reflection that well. and the background is clearly the outside forest, nobody’s having pinecones detritus and plants in their own basement except that greenthumbsman from _goosebumps _

load more comments (2 replies)
[-] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 14 points 3 weeks ago

Well, stop feeding reddit's AI machine.

load more comments (3 replies)
[-] shark_phenomenon@lemmy.world 13 points 3 weeks ago

r/pics is a massive joke anyways. Screw that sub!

[-] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 13 points 3 weeks ago

The Holy Pine Cone of Allentown.

load more comments (2 replies)
[-] hakunawazo@lemmy.world 12 points 3 weeks ago

conus pineae divinae

[-] ApollosArrow@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago

TIL what a window well is. I would honestly love to see what it looks like from outside. Is there some kind of covered up grate on top?

[-] mgenehoffman@sh.itjust.works 34 points 3 weeks ago

Here it is several years later. It’s an office that I rent. The landlord apparently does not care about maintaining the windows.

[-] jacksilver@lemmy.world 8 points 3 weeks ago

I was so confused by the image initially as I hadn't seen a window well that deep before. This follow-up picture made it all click, thanks for sharing.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[-] Donebrach@lemmy.world 8 points 3 weeks ago

Incredible that an ai image happened outside your window. What a beauteous happening met upon you.

[-] Aganim@lemmy.world 8 points 3 weeks ago

Nice, thanks for sharing! Maybe it's even something for c/accidentalrenaissance?

load more comments
view more: next ›
this post was submitted on 03 Jul 2025
955 points (100.0% liked)

pics

23959 readers
272 users here now

Rules:

1.. Please mark original photos with [OC] in the title if you're the photographer

2..Pictures containing a politician from any country or planet are prohibited, this is a community voted on rule.

3.. Image must be a photograph, no AI or digital art.

4.. No NSFW/Cosplay/Spam/Trolling images.

5.. Be civil. No racism or bigotry.

Photo of the Week Rule(s):

1.. On Fridays, the most upvoted original, marked [OC], photo posted between Friday and Thursday will be the next week's banner and featured photo.

2.. The weekly photos will be saved for an end of the year run off.

Weeks 2023

Instance-wide rules always apply. https://mastodon.world/about

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS