Pairing of Elements in AI Image Creation (1)

camera + lens + film stock + subjects + angle

When prompting for GenAI image creation - you are the Art/Creative Director for the imaginary shoot.

More than a simple subject, verb and colorful description, you get to control what the viewer sees in resulting render.

My wife was sharing recently how when Melson (her youngest) was little, he would triumphantly come out of his room after only a few-minutes from starting the chore of cleaning his room, to declare he was ‘all done.’

Knowing this to be an impossibility, but rather than waste time to prove the job incomplete, she would challenge him to go back to his room, and -

Use my eyes to see your room. Look at it the way I would, and see if everything I would want you to do - has been done.

This is in effect, what effective prompting is - but in reverse.

Instead of them pretending to use our eyes and see - we can be their eyes for them, and decide WHAT we want them to see. we can control the vantage point. We can control the distance from the subject and action. We can determine the feeling we want - not just to express, but to make the viewer experience.

We are creative directing an experience.

It is not just about tweaking a few words in a prompt to give sway to the AI to develop an image that is a great one-off, but rather we are conjuring a part of a story. Even if it is one image - we are orchestrating the whole so that the placement of items, the arrangement of details - are all there because we chose for them to be. They are important ingredients to a whole. A whole that is purposeful, intentional, prescribed and focused to deliver. A whole that we have decided upon.

But as is true of any ingredient - it has a flavor profile that conveys an idea. Paired with other ingredients, they enhance and play off of the other ingredients.

Just as a pinch of salt can elevate the sweetness of a dessert, or a hint of dark chocolate can amplify the tartness of a raspberry, each visual element serves a nuanced purpose.

In creative direction, every detail is an intentional note – a shadow that deepens emotion, a color that whispers a subtle mood, a compositional angle that guides the viewer's eye and heart. These elements are not merely decorative, but transformative; they are the spices and textures that turn a simple image into a complex, resonant experience. Like a masterful chef composing a dish, the creative director orchestrates visual ingredients to create a sensory journey that is simultaneously precise and evocative, where every element exists not in isolation, but in a carefully conducted symphony of meaning.

So, today I am going to give you creatives some new spices to add to your visual concoctions - so you can enhance the profile with intentional notes. This very well may become another book. But for now - it is a series I want to launch out on that ties into the idea that was central in my Midjourney book - Learn to See, Learn to Describe and Details that Matter.

Today, I will start with a few visuals and interesting Pairing of Elements you can use to enhance your next feast for the eyes. The first pairing of elements, creates the image styling seen below…

For a detailed breakdown of the ingredients so you can make your own masterful render like this… continue reading this article on my Substack. As mentioned in the subheading - it is accomplished thru a pairing of camera + lens + film stock + subjects + angle.

Don't want to dig?

Here's the short answer -

Leica M + Kodak Tri-X 400 + Eye Level + Community scene

Want to know the recipe? Go read the article and be the richer in knowing!