Jens, have you become a philosophical hippie? [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Jens wrote:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> But to create a picture of a non existing place somewhere in the mountains doesn't make sense to me. Or did I miss something? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes, I believe you missed something! Creating a picture of a non-existing place can be called recreation. People did this before computers, with paint and brushes. And the reasons to create such a picture can be many. Personally I would create such a picture just to see if I can do it, or just to relax and doing something not related to work.

Also you can create pictures of places where you cannot go, ie making a picture of Pompeii before it was destroyed by the vulcano eruption. Then it would be the artists vision and imagination of that place, no matter if it was done with paint or CG. I don't know if it makes sense to you, but I believe it is recreation for the artist making the picture.

And while I am writing this posting, I came to think of one more reason to make photographic images (it doesn't have to be non-existing places in mountains). When I saw the picture of the gems done in Carrara 2 I was quite impressed and thought I would try it myself. My first attemps were everything but what I wanted. That got me to start investigating how diamonds are cut, read about refraction indexes. Earlier projects hav usually got me to read and learn about things, and the images are the result of what I have learned. A good simulation can proove you have understood what you have studied.

My appologies, I notice that my structure of the text is starting to get a bit 'unstructured'... You wrote about 'normal' people not seeing the differense between CG images and real images, and that they start dreaming of these 'fantasy' places (and eventually getting disappointed when they discover the places don't excist). I don't really agree with you. There are people who are never happy, and always go on complaining that if I had this or if I had that (money, house, living somewhere else etc etc) then everything would be so much better. Well, I would say that most of the times those people would not be happy if they got what they wanted, but would start wanting the next this or that to find happiness. And I would also say that they will never be happy until they start looking into themselves and start enjoying the small things in life. And those unhappy people should also find help before it all turns into a depression or something similar.

BTW, I and my wife recently bought a house with a garden. I don't get up at 4.30 am, but you can still enjoy the morning, grass and birds at 7 or 8 am [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] so I am with you on that point, Jens!

-Paul