Seen / Unseen: How humans and machines process our everyday photos

We are taking more pictures than ever before because of smartphones. This increased capturing frequency has resulted in large technology companies archiving and organizing images through computational systems. While they are necessary because of the volume of images, these systems are also trying to make sense of our images and the stories within them. Images are being automatically put into albums and grouped based on the data that computers see. The person who took the photos and has the memories to go with the images is largely left out of the process.

This thesis researches the contrasting ways in which humans and machines view everyday photographs. These different ways of “seeing” the contents of a photograph are explored through three unique prototypes. Each prototype looks at different characteristics that are specific to both humans and machines. The intention of this project is to create a heightened awareness of the importance of human involvement with machines.