# Photography & Imagery — “COOEE / Black-and-White Natural Intelligence”

## Purpose

Our imagery makes a single claim: intelligence is already written into the natural world. We reveal it—not by inventing graphics—but by photographing Australian ecologies where structure, time, and emergence are visible in the raw. Everything is **true B\&W**, documentary-lean, and free of human artifacts.

## Core principles

* **Truth-effect:** Real photographs, not illustrations or composites. No synthetic “data” overlays.
* **Australian, untouched:** Native species, landscapes, textures. No human objects, infrastructure, or tracks.
* **Metaphor first:** Every subject must embody at least one of our pillars—**structure, intelligence, time, growth, ecosystems, emergence**.
* **High contrast, fine detail:** Deep blacks, crisp midtones, visible micro-texture (grain, fibers, pores).
* **Modular:** Images should stand alone or grid together without stylistic clash.
* **Brand echo (optional):** A **subtle circular light falloff** (“ring”) at 2–4% opacity—felt, never seen.

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## Visual motifs & how to use them

### 1) **Time & Accretion**

* **Tree growth rings (end grain):** Annual rings, checks, and mineral stains = *temporal layers + auditability*.

  * *Frame:* Off-center pith; a natural crack pointing toward headline space.
  * *Use for:* Roadmaps, governance, versioning, provenance.

* **Stromatolites (Shark Bay and similar):** Layered microbial rock = *deep time + iterative deposition*.

  * *Frame:* Low raking light to reveal lamina; exclude horizon for abstraction.
  * *Use for:* Foundations, first principles, reliability.

* **Sedimentary strata (cliff faces, river cuts):** Bands of differing grain = *hierarchy + memory*.

  * *Frame:* Slight diagonal (15–25°) for energy; reserve a clean band for type.

### 2) **Structure & Emergent Geometry**

* **Termite mound interiors (Cathedral/Nasutitermes):** Ventilation lattices and chambers = *distributed control + self-regulation*.

  * *Frame:* Macro details of ducts and junctions; avoid exteriors unless they show internal fracture.
  * *Use for:* Orchestration, load-balancing, agent swarms.

* **Aerial canopy occlusion (eucalypt woodlands/rainforest edges):** Crowns form **emergent boundaries** and negative-space networks = *graph partitioning*.

  * *Frame:* Top-down or high oblique; prioritize crown boundaries and voids.
  * *Use for:* Clustering, sharding, routing.

* **Mangrove roots & pneumatophores (Avicennia, Rhizophora):** Repetitive verticals and radial lattices = *permeability + I/O design*.

  * *Frame:* Low tide textures; emphasize rhythm, not horizon.
  * *Use for:* Interfaces, adapters, ingress/egress.

* **Spinifex sand patterns & salt-lake polygons:** Wind and evaporation produce **cellular tessellations** = *local rules → global order*.

  * *Use for:* Local policies, constraint solvers, emergent behavior.

### 3) **Growth & Recurrence**

* **Ferns (tree ferns, fiddleheads):** Fractal unfurling = *recursion + expansion*.

  * *Frame:* One frond at mid-unfurl; backlight for vein structure.
  * *Use for:* Scaling, onboarding, progressive disclosure.

* **Banksia cones & seed architectures:** Repeating modules = *indexed storage + redundancy*.

  * *Frame:* Tight macro; emphasize sockets and spiral phyllotaxis.
  * *Use for:* Indexing, caching, replication.

* **Coral morphologies (branching Acropora, massive Porites):** Corallite grids and branching logic = *parallelism + locality*.

  * *Frame:* Close texture studies; prioritize pattern over species ID.
  * *Use for:* Parallel pipelines, locality-aware compute.

* **Shell spirals (trochus, nautilus cross-sections):** Logarithmic growth = *proportional scaling*.

  * *Use for:* Capacity planning, cost curves, elastic scaling.

### 4) **Signals & Flow**

* **River braids and floodplain veining:** Dynamic routing & back-pressure in landscape.

  * *Use for:* Scheduling, retries, congestion control.

* **Eucalyptus bark sheeting (stringybark, paperbark/Melaleuca):** Peeling layers = *rolling updates + surface renewal*.

  * *Use for:* Upgrade paths, deprecation, migrations.

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## Composition & tone

* **Format:** Prefer portrait 4:5 for social (1080×1350), landscape 16:9 for web hero, square 1:1 for grids.
* **Safe zones:** Keep type/logo inside a 6–8% inset.
* **Subject dominance:** 1 clear motif per frame. Avoid busy composites.
* **Negative space:** Intentionally reserve clean bands for headlines.
* **Motion (video):** If used, ultra-slow push or light sweep only (2–3% over 4–8 s).

## Post-processing standard (B\&W only)

1. Convert to monochrome (no tint/sepia).
2. Curves: gentle S-curve; protect highlights from clipping.
3. Local contrast: texture/clarity +10–20; modest sharpening.
4. Grain: 2–5% to unify.
5. Optional brand ring: soft elliptical dodge/burn at 2–4% centered on the “organizing nucleus” (pith, node, vertex).
6. **Never:** fake film borders, heavy vignettes, light leaks, glitch effects, “data” overlays.

## Ethical sourcing & field practice

* **Wild and unmanipulated:** No staged scenes, no handling wildlife, no damage to habitat.
* **Permits & respect:** Obey park/marine rules; keep distance from sensitive sites.
* **Attribution:** Maintain location/species notes for alt text and captions (even if not published).

## Accessibility & captions

* **Alt text:** Describe the structure and metaphor (e.g., “Black-and-white macro of eucalyptus end grain, concentric rings and a hairline crack—evokes layered time.”).
* **Caption tone:** Understate. Explain the insight, not the spectacle.

  * Example: *“Local rules. Global order. Termite-style ventilation for distributed systems.”*

## Do / Don’t

**Do**

* Use raking light and macro to reveal micro-structure.
* Prefer abstraction over literal “hero animal” portraits.
* Shoot in harsh midday sun when textures pop; underexpose slightly.

**Don’t**

* Show people, roads, fences, fire trails, boats, or gear.
* Use illustrative icons, neon circuits, fake network lines.
* Tone images (no cyanotypes, warm washes).

## Shot list starter (Australia-first)

* End-grain cross-sections (fallen limbs), paperbark peels, stringybark sheets.
* Termite mound interiors (fracture/reveal), not tourist exteriors.
* Aerial canopy mosaics and rainforest edge ecotones.
* Mangrove pneumatophore fields; root lattices.
* Spinifex ripple fields; salt-pan polygon crackle.
* Coral texture macros (branching vs massive forms).
* Tree fern frond spirals; fern vein networks.
* Banksia cones; grass tree (Xanthorrhoea) leaf fans.
* River braidplains; oxbow patterns; dune slipfaces.

## Delivery specs

* **Social (portrait):** 1080×1350 PNG/JPEG (quality 90+).
* **Hero (web):** 2400×1350 WEBP + 1600×900 fallback.
* **Grid (brand library):** 2048×2048, consistent grain and contrast.
* **Color master:** Keep original RAWs archived; deliver final B\&W exports.

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### Decision checklist (before publishing)

* Does the photo show a **natural Australian** subject with no human artifacts?
* Can you point to **one pillar** (structure/intelligence/time/growth/ecosystems/emergence) the image clearly expresses?
* Is the B\&W treatment **neutral, high-contrast, and grain-truthful**?
* Is there **clean space** for type or is the image strong enough to run without it?
* Would this image still feel on-brand if placed next to three others from different biomes? (If yes, it’s modular; ship it.)


Killer idea. Add this as an **addendum** to your imagery section — it keeps the B\&W discipline while revealing structure you can’t see in visible light.

# Addendum — Infrared (IR) Imagery for Structure Discovery

## Why use IR

* **Reveals non-obvious structure:** Vegetation reflects strongly in **near-IR (NIR)** → canopy boundaries pop; stress/drought reduce reflectance → natural contrast.
* **Separates materials:** Sky and water go **very dark** in NIR; healthy leaves go **very bright** (Wood effect) → clean masks, graph-like negative spaces.
* **Texture contrast:** Bark, termite-mound interiors, spinifex, salt-pan polygons pick up micro-relief under harsh sun that looks flat in RGB.

> We use **near-IR** (700–900 nm) for reflectance structure. We **do not** use thermal/long-wave IR (8–14 µm); that reads as heat, not the kind of “intelligence in structure” we’re after.

## Brand rules (non-negotiable)

* **Monochrome only.** No false-color IR. Convert to neutral B\&W; match the house curve/grain.
* **Label clearly.** Add discreet “Infrared (NIR)” in metadata/captions to avoid misinterpretation.
* **Truthful processing.** No composites or sky replacements. Global tonal work and local dodge/burn only.
* **Australian, untouched.** Same ethics as RGB: wild subjects, no habitat disturbance, comply with park/drone rules.

## When IR is the right tool

* **Aerial canopy mosaics:** Emergent boundaries in eucalypt/rainforest edges; crown shyness patterns.
* **Mangrove pneumatophores at low tide:** Dense vertical lattices; water goes near-black → strong separation.
* **Spinifex ripple fields / dune slipfaces:** Amplifies grain and wind tesselations.
* **Termite mound interiors (fracture reveals):** Pore networks and ventilation channels gain bite under NIR.
* **Salt-lake polygon cracking:** High micro-contrast, cellular order stands out.
* **Paperbark / stringybark sheets:** Layering and fiber orientation read more clearly.

*(Skip IR for coral/underwater: NIR is absorbed quickly in water; use normal B\&W with polarizer for surface patterns instead.)*

## Capture setup (practical)

* **Best light:** Harsh sun (10:00–14:00). IR loves it.
* **Cameras:**

  * **Converted body** (internal IR filter) = handheld friendly.
  * **Filter-on-lens** (e.g., 720–850 nm) = longer exposures; bring a tripod.
* **Wavelengths:**

  * **720 nm** (a.k.a. R72): most versatile; good detail and tonality.
  * **830–850 nm:** punchier blacks/whites; less midtone nuance (use when you want graphic canopy masks).
* **Focusing:** IR focus shifts. If your lens lacks IR marks, stop down **f/8–f/11**, confirm via live view.
* **Lens hotspots:** Some lenses bloom in IR. Test: shoot a uniform scene; avoid lenses that show a bright central spot.
* **Filters:** Hoya R72 / 720 nm; 850 nm for maximal separation. Bring a **circular polarizer** for non-IR days (water/leaf glare).

## Field recipes

* **Aerial canopy (drone with NIR):** 1/500 s+, ISO as needed, **orthomosaic or single oblique**; compose for negative-space networks.
* **Mangroves low tide (ground):** 720 nm, f/11, expose to protect highlights on leaves; angle to get root shadows as “graph edges.”
* **Termite interior macro:** Tripod, side-light at \~30–45°, bracket ±1 EV; pick the frame with the cleanest pore contrast.
* **Salt-pan polygons:** 850 nm, f/8, camera \~1–2 m height; diagonal composition (15–25°) to energize the grid.

## Post-processing standard (IR → house B\&W)

1. **Monochrome conversion** from RAW (no channel swapping; we’re not doing false color).
2. **White balance** off foliage for midtones; then set a consistent neutral target across the set.
3. **Curves:** S-curve; ensure sky/water don’t fully clip unless you intend a silhouette.
4. **Local contrast:** Texture/Clarity +10–25; mask to avoid crunchy noise in deep shadows.
5. **Grain:** Match library spec (2–5%).
6. **Brand ring (optional):** Same 2–4% soft elliptical dodge/burn centered on the organizing nucleus.

## Accessibility & disclosures

* **Alt text:** “Infrared (near-IR) black-and-white aerial of eucalyptus canopy — bright leaves, dark voids forming network-like negative space.”
* **Caption tone:** State the insight plainly: *“Near-IR reveals canopy boundaries—local rules, global structure.”*

## Do / Don’t (IR)

**Do**

* Use IR to make boundaries, lattices, and cellular order legible.
* Shoot in strong sun; underexpose 1/3 stop to hold foliage detail.
* Keep a paired RGB frame when possible (for archival truth and future reuse).

**Don’t**

* Use thermal imagery.
* Publish false-color IR or surreal sky swaps.
* Shoot underwater expecting IR to help (it won’t).

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