“After all, it’s just looking at things. We all do that. It’s simply a way of recording what you see – point the camera at it, and press a button.” Reading this and thinking back of the time when I started photography makes me feel so stupid because this is exactly what I said. I thought that photography was as simple as capturing what is in front of me. Later on I discovered that it is much more than that. It is really hard and really crucial because a single image, if captured correctly, can start a revolution. Photography has much more to it than technical aspects. I discovered that making a good photograph is very hard and takes huge amount of work and dedication. The idea of the photograph might take few days or weeks or even months, just
The Photographer’s Eyes, is summed up in one line: “The history of photography has been less a journey than a growth.” Thousands of photos were being taken all over the world, “but photographs, as the man on the street put it, were taken;” they were meaningless. It took years for the art of photography to truly develop; pictures finally started to have meaning. According to the article, trivial things took
Susan Sontag’s essay on how photography has limited people’s understanding of the world contains many interesting points that can be agreeable while at the same time having few that I tend to disagree with. Photography can be good and bad; it can open our minds up to new cultures and experiences through its imagery. However, at the same time it can limit our understanding of the world around us and of the world around the image it is portraying.
I’ve always wondered how a single image could show a beautiful lie or a horrific truth of any picture taken. No picture can be considered obvious. My mind is always thinking about the many different perspectives that one picture can bring. That’s why I enjoy taking photos that captures the many mysteries of life. I would love to live life as a photographer.
The world has many photographers that anyone can look at. You can call me an amateur or say I don’t really understand the art but when I look at most of the pictures available, and I have looked at thousands lately, I don’t see anything different in the style of photography. I just see pictures. I see pictures of beautiful subjects and pictures of ugly subjects. I never really thought about the difference being the photographer instead of the subject, until I saw Elliott Erwitt.
Susan Sontag discusses the reality of the modern person’s addiction with “needing to have reality confirmed” by photos. Sontag says “we accept it as the camera records it” then goes to say “this is the opposite of understanding.” I agree with her wholeheartedly, as accepting photos as they are limits ones understanding of the world. The trust in photography led to the rise of pictures hoaxes, in which people take pictures out of context and assign it a new background; as well as Photoshop, which becomes increasingly popular as the years go by. Photoshop allows one to manipulate a photo to portray what they desire it to.
Focus, Capture, Develop, and Take another shot are hard concepts to grasp while growing up and maturing. Throughout every obstacle that I have faced whether personally, academically or socially I have had to remember to apply these qualities to my life daily. As a child the one person a girl naturally gravitates toward to be her protector and supporter is her father. I, on the other hand, did not have that experience with mine. My transition from childhood to adulthood began at the age of seven, when I was placed into an unfamiliar and chaotic situation. I had to learn how to capture the essence of life’s gifts in order to cope and thrive. My mom had decided that we would be moving to Texas from California, for a job opportunity she received
The purpose of this essay is to integrate the photographic process with creative writing. At first glance, one might think that the two mediums do not have much common ground. However, upon further scrutiny, one quickly discovers that is not entirely the case. Photography plays a wide and diverse role in creative writing.
Photography is defined at the art or practice of taking and processing photographs. To understand photography is having insight or good judgment to know how to take the picture, but also edit it if need be. Does photography limit our understanding of the world? What some people haven’t realized is that photography is all around us, whether it is in the person’s mind to see it or not. While we see photography throughout our daily routine, people dismiss the small types of photography and focus on the bigger sceneries like other countries beautiful cities and landscapes. It’s true that in this day and age, most photographs we see have been altered in some way. When photographers use Photoshop to edit our photos, we use many different ways to make that image appealing to the eye. Although, photographers unless told to do so will not change an image into something totally absurd that takes away from being astatically pleasing. Images are a gateway to the insight of the rest of the world’s cultures landscapes, and architecture, and photography is the key aspect to it. Photography is a one way to see the world, but it is better if you go and travel around the world to see it. In order to see if photography actually limits our understanding, we have to first look at the positive side of photography.
“Recently, photography has become almost as widely practiced an amusement as sex and dancing, which means that, like every mass art form, photography is not practiced by most people as an art. It is mainly a social rite, a defense against anxiety, and a tool of power” (Sontag 8). After reading this quote in my head multiple times, I started to realize that people use it for different purposes. When I took a photography class in college, it was under the category “art.” Which made me think of it as a form of art, when there are so many other ways to view photography. Sontag changed my opinion about photography after further interpreting her quote because to have a camera in our hand, being able to capture the world through our lens is to have a tool of
To begin with, photography appeared to me as something entertaining a simple step in which one took a camera and simply shot a photograph of oneself or a friend. When I was handed my schedule for Mrs. Jones’s class, I felt as if this class had in store a special reward for me. As the days went by, Instead of being anxious of getting out of class I had a craving for additional time in the class. The class kept my eyes glued to the screen ...
Photojournalism plays a critical role in the way we capture and understand the reality of a particular moment in time. As a way of documenting history, the ability to create meaning through images contributes to a transparent media through exacting the truth of a moment. By capturing the surreal world and presenting it in a narrative that is relatable to its audience, allows the image to create a fair and accurate representation of reality.
What do you consider art? Paintings, sculptures, drawings, or maybe something else. I know, when I think of art, I think of photography. Photography Is used for business, science, manufacturing, art, recreational purposes, mass communication, and more. Photography is using light to do amazing things, and some people think of photography as a story that just needs to be told. Ansel Adams probably believed this. He said, “You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” Photography has a long interesting history, like the fact that the word photography is made up of two greek words, photos meaning ‘light’ and graphein which is ‘to draw’ ! Photography also has some complicated techniques to get a hang of taking good photos. Have you heard of the rule of thirds? Or do you know how a camera works? Well, that will all be explained. Maybe, by the end you will take up photography too. This essay will explore the history and types of cameras and the basic rules for taking photographs.
Photography has created an outlet for the masses to story tell. It has a way of speaking without words like most art forms and is a manner of expression in itself. To eradicate photography from humans would be equivalent to taking away a limb from humankind. Our society has grown an immense amount of dependency on it. Photography has become almost a daily menial task such as brushing your teeth; where we must take pictures of the things we deem important or equally unimportant, even more so with the invention of social media outlets such as Instagram and Snapchat, where photography is the main source of communication between people who use them. Susan Sontag offers the basis of what taking pictures can undertake in both our daily lives and moments that are not part of our daily lives, such as travel. Traveling to places where one is not accustomed can flare pent up anxiety. A way to subdue that anxiety could be through taking pictures, since it’s the only factor that we have total control over in a space where we don’t have much, or, any control of our surrounding environment. On the other hand, taking photos can also be a tool of power in the same sense as it allows for it to be a defense against anxiety. With the camera in our hands, we have the power to decide who, what, where, when, and why we take a picture. This in turn also gives the person who took the picture power over those who later analyze the photos, letting them decide the meaning of the photo individually, despite the intended or true meaning.
My thoughts on my photograph being taken in particular have changed drastically over time. When I was younger, I literally gave no thought to my photo being taken, I barely even remember them being taken. When I look at the photographs of my childhood, I remember the moment in which they were taken, but I don't remember the photo actually being taken. Now I always know when someone is taking a picture of me, sort of like a sixth sense. I think the reason behind that is that when I was younger I loved my photo being taken and now I hide from the camera. Mostly because of insecurities and knowing how quickly a photo can travel now through the internet and social media.
Without a doubt, being a highly respected photographer would be my dream career. The type of job that wouldn 't feel like a job because it is one of my favorite hobbies. Growing up I always noticed how much longer I took to take a picture of someone than when they did the same for me. I soon realized that I actually had a passion for getting the right shot that I understood that not every pictures the same and that certain angles made others look better in places. The praise I received for taking a lot of these pictures motivated me. I liked that I hardly ever got told to take these pictures over and I loved that I was always the one chosen to take them time after time. Once I understood that I had this passion for photography I made sure a camera was the first thing on my Christmas list that year. I also knew that there was nothing but room for improvement, so i sought out private lessons which I worked and saved up for.