The use of artificial intelligence in taking photography commissions is now in the NFT space

Whether you're in the NFT community or traditional art community, chances are you've engaged in discussions surrounding this idea in recent months. Now, in what she calls "the first-ever photography commission inspired by artificial intelligence," artist Cath Simard is exploring this question in an entirely new way.

Simard's prior work in the NFT art space has earned her a strong fan base in its growing photography sphere. Following a long career in landscape photography, Simard took her first steps into Web3 with her genesis NFT collection on SuperRare, Lumière Du Noir. It's a stunning collection of ethereal landscapes taken throughout Simard's various journeys around the world.

Through her photos, Simard hopes to capture emotions felt at locations across disparate points in time. Namely, the points at which one arrives at a location and when one looks back at it. The result is dreamlike, deeply personal landscapes that seemingly mirror the ways in which Simard idealized them in her memory. However, with her latest creative venture From Nowhere to Somewhere, Simard is hoping to flip the script somewhat.

This desire stems from the relationship Simard has developed with her community in the NFT art space. "My relationship with my NFT collectors is completely different from that with my physical print collectors. I interact with them on a daily basis, and I consider them friends and mentors," she said in an interview with nft now. "Because NFTs are completely new and constantly evolving with a lot of ups and downs, I feel like it creates this unique bond with the people who support you. We are on this journey together."

Starting on Nov. 8 and running to Nov. 11, she's inviting her community to use EpoLabs in conjunction with Stable Diffusion to conjure up AI landscapes. Following this creation period, there will be an auction that will run from Nov. 12 to 14 and start at a reserve of 0 ETH. For the auction, individuals must submit one AI piece from their gallery along with a bid.

From there, Simard will use the AI-generated piece as a framework for her next work of art. Following the selection of the winning entry, Simard will undergo a potential year-long journey to attempt to recreate the winning piece in the real world via her own creative process, hiking and shooting until she nails it.

The process itself will breed a new pipeline of creative possibilities for Simard, as she intends to "document and share every step of the process through a dedicated page on her website that highlights the project," as per the press release.