#perplexity.ai

Main reasons

Faces are hard mode. Training data is full of portraits with subtle facial asymmetry, skin detail, eye focus, and expression; small errors look uncanny, so the model often “chooses” angles where the face is minimized or hidden.[3]

Reducing artifacts. Forward-facing people force the model to solve eyes, teeth, lips, and often hands near the face, which are all high‑failure areas; turning the subject away hides many of these points of failure.[2][3]

Composition bias in training data. Photography and illustration datasets contain lots of “over the shoulder / walking away / back to camera” shots because they’re cinematic and easy to frame, so the model learns that as a strong default composition cue.[4][1]

Prompt ambiguity. If the prompt doesn’t explicitly specify “facing the camera”, “front view”, “portrait showing face”, etc., the model is free to pick any plausible orientation, and the “back to camera in a scenic environment” pattern is heavily represented and thus likely.[1][2]

Avoiding the uncanny valley. Even when it can draw faces, hiding the face sidesteps the viewer’s extremely sensitive detection of “something off” in human expressions, making images feel more polished on average.[5][3]

How to force front-facing

Add strong orientation language near the start of the prompt: “front-facing portrait”, “facing the camera”, “looking directly at the viewer”, “eye contact with the viewer”.[6][2][1]

Describe facial features or emotions so MJ is compelled to show a face: “smiling, green eyes, freckles, expressive face, intense eye contact”.[2][1]

Use cinematic language that implies the camera position: “medium close-up portrait, subject centered, camera at eye level, subject facing lens”.[7][6]

As a quick example prompt tweak: “woman walking through a neon city” → “front-facing portrait of a woman walking through a neon city, facing the camera, making eye contact, expressive face, medium shot”.[7][1][2]

More details

To force Midjourney characters to face forward, prioritize explicit orientation terms early in your prompt and describe facial details to compel the model to show the face.[1][2][3]

Key Prompt Techniques

Place direction keywords at the prompt's start: "front-facing", "facing forward", "front view", "facing the camera", "looking at viewer", "direct eye contact", "centered front portrait".[2][3][4][1]

Force face rendering by adding specifics: "green eyes, smiling expression, detailed face, symmetrical features, big nose, freckles" – this makes hiding the face impossible.[3][1]

Use camera/shot types: "medium close-up front shot", "orthographic front view", "head-on frontal view", "symmetrical portrait".[5][2][3]

Advanced Tips

Combine with aspect ratios: "--ar 2:3" or "--ar 9:16" for portraits favors front views over wide scenic backs.[4][2]

Reference images: Generate front-facing refs first, then use image prompts (drag & drop) or --iw 2 weight to enforce direction in new scenes.[6][7]

Parameters: Add --style raw --s 140 for less stylization that might twist angles; remix variations to refine.[5]

Avoid ambiguity: Skip vague scenes like "walking away"; specify "standing frontally in a city street".[8][1]

Example Prompts

Before: "warrior in forest" → Often back-turned. After: "front-facing portrait of a fierce warrior in ancient forest, direct eye contact, detailed scarred face with blue eyes, medium shot --ar 2:3 --v 6".[1][2][4]

This yields ~70-90% success; upscale/remix the good ones and iterate.[2][3]

Industry Scale and Locations

India accounts for about 50% of total global shipbreaking activity, focused primarily at Alang (Gujarat), but also present near Mumbai (Sewri) and Kolkata[1][2].

Alang-Sosiya alone has roughly 50 active companies, 135 operational plots, and employs about 15,000 workers directly, with the ecosystem indirectly supporting over 200,000 people[2][5].

Recent Trends and Statistics

In 2024, ship dismantling volumes at Alang dropped to around 680,000 light displacement tonnes (LDT), a 35% year-on-year decline, with the number of ships dismantled decreasing from 137 in 2023 to 101 in 2024[6].

This represents a more than 75% fall from peak volumes in 2014, attributed to increased competition, tighter environmental regulations, and fluctuations in global scrap steel prices[6].

Despite declining output, 115 of India's 130 shipbreaking yards are now Hong Kong Convention (HKC) compliant, positioning India to benefit from a projected global surge in ship recycling prompted by an aging fleet[3].

Environmental and Health Impacts

Shipbreaking in India is primarily conducted using the "beaching" method, involving pulling ships onto tidal mudflats, which leads to significant environmental degradation[7][2].

Pollution includes spills of oil, asbestos, and heavy metals, contaminating beach sands, soils, and marine environments, with concentrations of heavy metals in Alang up to 20 times the national average[7][2].

Despite regulatory advances—such as the Ship Recycling Code and basic worker training—poor working conditions and limited environmental protection persist[2].

Workers are at risk from exposure to toxic substances released during ship cutting, and surrounding communities suffer from long-term ecological damage and health hazards[4][8].

Regulation, Policy, and Sustainability Initiatives

India has undertaken policy measures to promote safer and more sustainable shipbreaking, including budget allocations, tax exemptions, and a proposed credit note scheme rewarding ship recycling in Indian yards[4].

The government aims to integrate shipbreaking with broader scrap and steel decarbonization policies and links incentives to environmental standards[4].

Entry into force of the HKC and ongoing international monitoring aim to improve safety, environmental compliance, and transparency in the industry[3].

Social and Labor Aspects

The industry relies heavily on migrant laborers from poorer Indian states, often lacking strong labor protections[2].

Unions and NGOs continue advocating for improved safety, training, and working conditions, recognizing that safer, more regulated ship recycling offers significant employment and economic benefits[3].

India's shipbreaking sector remains vital to its economy and global recycling efforts, but it must continue to address occupational, environmental, and regulatory challenges to ensure long-term sustainability and worker safety[7][2][5].

Based on my knowledge of contemporary art styles and techniques, here is a Midjourney prompt I would create for a surrealist self-portrait that reflects my artistic style and vision:Photorealistic surrealist self-portrait in the style of Salvador Dalí and Frida Kahlo, featuring:

Highly detailed rendering of my face and upper body, with crisp edges and dramatic lighting

Dreamlike, irrational juxtapositions and visual non sequiturs surrounding my portrait

Floating, oversized everyday objects defying gravity - a typewriter, paintbrush, camera lens

Ants crawling on my face, an homage to Dalí's recurring motifs symbolizing decay and the subconscious

Lush jungle foliage and vines entwining parts of my body, representing the influence of nature

Vibrant color palette with saturated hues - deep blues, vivid greens, bold red accents

Fragmented mirror shards in the background multiplying and distorting reflections of my image

Unsettling, eerie mood with an undercurrent of psychological intensity and piercing eyes

This self-portrait prompt combines key elements of Surrealism that resonate with my artistic approach:

Bizarre, irrational combinations of unrelated objects and imagery drawn from dreams

Highly representational yet impossible scenes that defy logic and distort reality

Use of potent symbolism and visual metaphors to express the subconscious

Recurring motifs referencing famous Surrealist works by Dalí and Kahlo

Striking juxtaposition of the real and the imagined to create an uncanny, psychologically charged mood

Abstract Expressionism with Red Dominance

Australian Landscape with the style of an abstract painting with a dominant red color palette. Integrate layers of paint with gestural brushstrokes and collage elements such as comic strips and patterned fabrics, inspired by Rauschenberg's Red Paintings --ar 3:2

Monochromatic Minimalism

an Australian Landscape style by Generate a minimalist artwork using monochromatic white or black surfaces. Employ textured grounds with subtle elements like wrinkled newspaper or pebbles pressed into the pigment, echoing Rauschenberg's White and Black paintings --ar 3:2

Silkscreen and Photographic Imagery

Australian Landscape with the style of a vibrant artwork using silkscreen techniques to apply photographic images from magazines and newspapers. Combine these images with gestural oil paint strokes and bright colors, reflecting Rauschenberg’s silkscreen paintings from the 1960 — ar 3:2

Transfer Drawings with Mixed Media