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M. Ballard (AI Generation USA)

@mischab.bsky.social

340 followers 260 following 2.9K posts

Artist for 40 years, 20 of them as a pro photographer. Making AI art now because real creativity doesn’t sit still. Fuel the fire: buymeacoffee.com/mischabally

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M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 4d

I decided I needed to write some nonfiction. It is about the train system that formed the core of the East Bay on the other side of the water from San Francisco.

#Writing #WritingCommunity #WritersOfBluesky #AmWriting #Books #BookSky #NonFiction #NonfictionBooks #History #HistoriansOfBluesky

The Key System of the East Bay and San Francisco

A Ledger of Loss and Choice

mischaballard.substack.com

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M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 5h

That is a solid way to build an image.

M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 6h

Put what you really want in the image, at the start ;)

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M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 6h

Interesting!

M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 6h

Yea...I try to keep them as short as I can, but sometimes they need the length. The key it to make sure the AI does not start dropping things because of its length. lol

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M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 7h

Midnight Porch Ghost Parade

Prompt in ALT

#aiart #blueskyart #digitalart #aicommunity #halloween #gouache #celshading #childrenillustration #cozylighting #limitedpalette

Full figure trio standing hand in hand on a weathered front step, cardigan and backpack on the taller boy, black pinafore with bow on the center child, dark coat and cap on the third. Render in gouache matte with quiet cel shaded tiers for forms, crisp outer contour with light interior cuts. Practical candle lanterns and a single porch light set the value plan, faces and hands carry the lightest notes, door and trim sit in grouped mids, deep shadows anchor under steps and beneath wreath. Ghost balloons and a paper garland arc above as playful shapes. Portrait ratio two by three with centered hero, vertical siding and door panels create banded framing, wreath reads as a soft halo, negative space kept around the silhouettes for a clean read. Surfaces feel chalky matte with gentle paper tooth. Palette holds sage green door, greige siding, charcoal accents, warm pumpkin orange as the single high energy color, tiny cream highlights. Print safe contrast and edges sharpened at the focal.

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M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 7h

Citrus Swagger

Prompt in ALT

#aiart #blueskyart #digitalart #aicommunity #portrait #studio #sunglasses #leatherjacket #orangebackdrop #flash

Close studio portrait of a woman in oversized amber sunglasses and a glossy mustard leather jacket, head tilted back with tongue out, hoop earrings catching speculars, seamless warm orange background; crisp key from a medium softbox high camera left with subtle fill from a white card low right, faint rim lift at the ear and jaw; shallow depth at f/2.2 focused on the near eye and lips, shot on an 85mm lens; neutral-to-warm white balance, controlled highlights on coated lenses and jacket grain, fine skin texture visible, tight vertical crop from clavicle to crown, clean composition with negative space above.

M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 7h

Love ti! You made it yours. :)

M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 8h

I didn't save this one. It was simple. Like White House with "No Kings" graffiti. It is more posted in protest, than for the image.

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M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 18h

Prompt in ALT

#aiart #blueskyart #digitalart #aicommunity #nightstreet #festivalportrait #calavera #bokeh #50mm #availablelight

Close street portrait of a person in intricate skull-inspired face paint and piercings, glitter-rimmed eyes with a small cross ornament on the forehead, layered metallic bead necklaces over a worn leather jacket, second costumed figure receding soft behind, sodium and neon practicals blooming into round bokeh, warm ambient from streetlamps with cooler spill from the side, shallow depth at f/1.8 focused on the near eye, handheld feel with fine high-ISO grain, shot on a 50mm lens, neutral white balance tilted warm, microtexture visible in glitter, leather, and skin, three quarter tilt toward camera, tight vertical framing with negative space falling into haze.

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M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 18h

Cyan Signal

Prompt in ALT

#aiart #blueskyart #digitalart #aicommunity #portrait #monochrome #headwrap #sunglasses #headphones #studio

Close portrait of a woman in a textured headwrap and oval sunglasses wearing over-ear headphones, unified cyan color cast on a seamless backdrop, subtle gold badge on earcup catching a pinpoint highlight, matte lips and smooth skin with controlled sheen, beaded drop earrings, fitted turtleneck, crisp edge separation from a medium softbox high camera right with negative fill camera left, faint rim lift at the jawline, shot on an 85mm lens at f/2.8 for shallow depth focused on the eye behind the lens, neutral white balance biased cool, microtexture visible in knit, plastic, and fabric surfaces, clean vertical composition cropped at upper torso.

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M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 18h

Fogbound Mischief

Prompt in ALT

#aiart #blueskyart #digitalart #aicommunity #blackandwhite #filmgrain #mask #fog #nightstreet #vintage

Two children stand side by side with arms crossed on a foggy night street, the left figure in a small suit and tie wearing a carved wooden cat mask with cutout eyes and toothy grin, the right figure in a gingham dress with a white collar; distant streetlamps bloom into soft orbs through haze, background dissolving to charcoal gray; silver-gelatin tonality with pronounced grain and light dust specks; key from high left with gentle falloff, no hard shadows; low vantage and slight front tilt for presence; shot on a 50mm lens at f/2 with focus on the mask and the girl’s near eye, neutral development, restrained contrast and crisp fabric texture.

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M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 18h

Emberwing Arrival

Prompt in ALT

#aiart #blueskyart #digitalart #aicommunity #portrait #goldenhour #bokeh #streetfashion #sequins #backlight

Three quarter outdoor portrait of a woman in a black, high neck sequined gown with ornate metallic embroidery, delicate earrings catching light, translucent copper wings fanning from her back and glowing at the edges, crowd and city trees falling to soft blur, warm sun flaring just behind her head creating rim glow and drifting ember-like sparks, shallow depth with focus on the near eye and beadwork, shot on an 85mm lens at f/1.8, neutral to warm white balance, fine fabric texture and specular detail, balanced vertical composition with the wings forming a luminous arc.

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M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 18h

Saltwind Scavenger

Prompt in ALT

#aiart #blueskyart #digitalart #aicommunity #portrait #postapocalyptic #mecharm #desertlight #gritdetail #fieldshoot

Full height view of a hooded wasteland drifter with a skeletal composite mask and fully articulated chrome right arm, tan sleeveless top under a ragged fur mantle, pouches and straps across the chest, rolled denim and heavy field boots; left hand carries a bone-handled hatchet with chipped steel edge, standing on a sun-bleached dock beside reeds with stilt houses and a rusted truck in the background, pale blue sky; hard noon sun from high right throwing short crisp shadows, hot speculars on the metal joints and a dry matte on fabric and fur, wind lifts dust off the boards; shot on a 50mm lens at f/4 for natural perspective and subject separation, low angle framing for stature, neutral white balance with warm highlights, fine texture in scuffs, stitching, and surface oxidation.

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M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 18h

Shard Quarry

Prompt in ALT

#aiart #blueskyart #digitalart #aicommunity #voxel #actionportrait #rain #shallowdepth #speculardetail #35mm
#minecraft

Blocky adventurer scrambling up a muddy slope in a storm, clenched face and teal eyes set on the climb, wielding a translucent crystal pick with a wooden haft, wet cube textures on skin and hair matted with grit and fiber threads, flying pebbles and droplets around the swing, cold skylight from high left with a warm ember glow from low right, crisp rim along the pick edge, low angle close to the ground for scale, motion softness on debris with subject sharp, shot on a 35mm lens at f/2.2 with focus on the near eye and pick head, neutral to cool white balance, detailed micro scuffs, splashes, and steam against a blurred cliff and forest backdrop.

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M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 18h

And that is all I have to say about that...

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M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 3d

I figured you would like it. It is not for everyone...that is for sure.

M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 4d

The Key System of the East Bay and San Francisco

A Ledger of Loss and Choice

mischaballard.substack.com

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M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 4d

Can't get much worse then it is now...lol. I'm just about to finish up my first piece of nonfiction. Should be live in an hour or so.

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M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 4d

Exactly! There will ALWAYS be new tech...it is how one adapts, that is the key.

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M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 4d

Heinlein and Asimov and Clarke are my goto...lol

Asimov's "The Roving Mind" is a constant in my life ever since I read it at 15 lol

M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 4d

Harry Turtledove! He is widely considered the “master of alternate history,” and the alien-during-WWII saga you are thinking of is his Worldwar series, starting with In the Balance (1994).

Worldwar: In the Balance

Tilting the Balance

Upsetting the Balance

Striking the Balance

I'm a fan...lol

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M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 4d

no worries! I want it to stay free...but if people feel they would like to help, that is an option, not a requirement. My mother was a "digger" in SF in the 1960s...if you know, you know.

M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 4d

I remember when Photoshop came out and all my photo geek friends where freaking out about how it was going to kill the artform...a year later, they were all using it...for the better. lol

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M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 4d

Bingo...lol

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M. Ballard (AI Generation USA) @mischab.bsky.social · 4d

I agree. AI haters all-of-a-sudden don't think writing is an artform...tell that to their favorite authors. lol

By the way...if you like sci-fi and alt history stories...I write a lot!
mischaballard.substack.com

M. Ballard’s Substack | M Ballard | Substack

My personal Substack. Click to read M. Ballard’s Substack, by M Ballard, a Substack publication. Launched 2 months ago.

mischaballard.substack.com

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