Upstairs
Boys at work.
Photography has become readily accessible to more and more people; especially with the advent of digital photography. And as a result of this, we are subconsciously bombarded by more and more images than before. I am not talking about just mass media assaults from fashion spreads or ad campaigns but also facebook, friendster, google, forums, flickr, blogs etc etc. And perhaps the result of all this is that like inflation, the value we place in an image becomes diluted; till the point where a photo is no more than just a collage of colour. We no longer question the context, the circumstances, things that make a photo different from any other medium. What is possibly child labour in a sweatshop could easily be boys helping out at the family shop during the school holidays. Mass exposure has resulted in complacent acceptance. The viewer has the right to be complacent, but us camera wielders have no such excuse. Increased accessibility has also brought about empowerment. Camera wielders now have the power to make a difference, to tell a story through their machines, be it a point and shoot or a dslr. A photograph should tell a story, and a photograph should move, just like how James Nachtwey's photos moved me.
posted by Jammy at 4:04 pm
5 Comments:
i disagree.
I could not look at all the pictures in one sitting. Thanks for the link!
what you say applies to especially to the "heavyweight" photography - photojournalism. we expect journalistic photos to narrate and move.
i believe we should expect high standards of other forms of journalism too, viewers or wielders. fashion photog is probably regarded a "lightweight" of professional photography because it is lucrative, glamorous and seems to involve much frivolousness. do we undervalue work by fashion photographers?
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anyway, i think even with new media, viewers are still discerning - the blog "the Sartorialist" is still working hard even after it is now famous.
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i like the photos from the fashion campaigns of "I Love Salvatore" and "Fred Perry Subculture." perhaps that reveals my bias towards a little bit of graphic design mixed in with photography
Wendy! I thought you would comment on the previous post! I do agree that fashion photographers are very capable artists and I have no intention of undermining or devaluing their work. What I'm trying to say, in a nutshell, and I did go about it rather poorly, is that more of us now have the means to tell a story, to make a difference or to make something known. Perhaps a close example would be the citizen-reporter/STOMPer. And I am just saying that I am not doing anything about this new found power in spite of the resources at my disposal, in terms of image capturing and transmitting. Yes, my post does seem to apply only to photojournalism. But on a deeper level, it would be harsh to segment photography into specific categories because the categories are so fluid. Even fashion photography tells a story. And we look for similar lines, the similar positioning of the human body in street photography as in fashion photography etc etc. Nevertheless, like all forms of expression, photography will always incorporate a subjective element.
With regards to media, I think that a photo is different simply because it is a specific moment of reality frozen. It invites questioning and contextualisation. We can accept it for what it is, or ask what happened that resulted in this moment, or what happens after this moment. In this way, I personally feel that it carries abit more punch and interaction than a video/film.
I have nothing against graphic design mixed with photography, just in case you feel that I do. In fact, having surrealistic inclinations and beng a fan of Man Ray would make it contrary to do so.
Hi Cheryl, It makes you think twice doesn't it. Especially since we were talking about food. Cruel Irony.
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