The Quest to Replicate Nature in Technology
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When will we be technologically satisfied with cameras? It seems that all of our advancements have been to replicate the things that come naturally to most of us. No cameras, computers, or audio devices have been able to replicate the superiority of human abilities. What if they could make a camera that was as small as our eye, more powerful, and we could control it with our brain? Would we be satisfied then? Would that be better than the Canon 5D Mark X?
The more I dig into this kind of stuff, the more I realize how amazing nature can be. We try to replicate her in everything. From color selections in clothes and paintings to camera lenses and audio devices. Did you know the human eye can see equivalent to a 50-megapixel photo? Pretty amazing, and it’s smaller than a golf ball! This is how we know technology still has a way to go. So do we have to wait two-hundred years to apply this “nature” to our art? Perhaps, if you want a camera that is smaller and more efficient than our eyes, but in other ways, we can apply it now. This minute.
The Impressionists effectively replicated nature’s color. The Realists captured her likeness. And all of us can capture her language. The way she communicates to us. If we continue to use design techniques we are effectively replicating the unspoken words of nature. Where do you think master painters got their inspiration? Where did they get their techniques? Who was there before them, and who was there after they passed? Inspiration, beauty, structure, elegance, drama, passion….it’s all found in nature. Not to say that every time we go outside that the clouds will always be perfect for our design, but we know the potential is there. And if we are photographing, painting or drawing we can use these perfect clouds in a way to inspire our design.
We may never be able to replicate the human eye as a photographic device, but we can certainly replicate her language within our design. Learn it, apply it, and echo the beauty of nature in your art!
Here’s a quick video on how the eye compares to a camera and lens.
