Week 14

The readings this week focus on what is Real in photography.  As photography continues to advance and evolve, we're assaulted by more and more technology that is capable of altering the photograph to the extent that it's next to impossible to tell if what is contained in the image has been altered or is even a photograph at all.

The image above was created by my friend Nick who is an architect.  They were supposed to take a photograph of the models they created for a class.  However, Nick is a crazy perfectionist and was unable create the lighting he wanted for his model, so decided to simply model it in 3D studio max instead.  I can't tell that it's an image that was created- rather than taken, and neither could anyone in his class.

The Remediation articles talked quite a bit about virtual reality.  "In order to create a sense of presence, virtual reality should come as close as possible to our daily visual experience"(p.22).  This statement interests me because when I think of VR, I don't think of it as employing technology to do everyday things such as doing the dishes or walking my dogs.  Instead, VR is often expected to show us things that are fantastical and that we cannot access in our everyday lives.  

This of course leads us to the photoblog in comparison.  "Photobloggers like, most of all, to make photographs of what they call 'the everyday', the 'banal' or 'the mundane'.... most photobloggers say that 'real life' is the desired content of their photographs.  They want pictures of real life as it happens, as they experience.  'Real life'... traditionally happens outside of photographs, and this is precisely what they want in their photographs" (p.887).  Digital pictures are free and therefore many many more images can be taken, providing the photographer with an arsenal of images with which to describe even the smallest moments of their days.  A desire is expressed for a camera to be inserted in their eyes so that it is possible to capture every detail of their existence.  Below are a few images from a friend's photoblog.

 I also found it interesting that the reading points out that most photobloggers do not use flash.  In general, they avoid any behavior or photographic tool that causes people to be put on guard or strike a pose.  They capture the moments before and after the instant when someone expects the photo to be taken.