Photography as an Asteroid

Have you seen a shooting star? According to Fraser Cain, a shooting star is another name for a meteoroid that burns up as it passes through the Earth’s atmosphere. Most of the shooting stars are known as meteoroids. If they’re larger than a rock, astronomers call them asteroids.

       

How about an asteroid falling from the sky? Well, a shooting star is also an asteroid, but the only difference is the shooting star or meteoroid already burn up as it enters the Earth and it is smaller. With an asteroid, this must be really big that may create an impact to the crust of the Earth just like in the movie Deep Impact.

       

Relating to photography, it is like an asteroid which created an impact to the society. Based from the article I’ve read entitled The Impact of Photography on Society, Dirk Huds mentioned six areas of the society where it had greatly affected.

       

First is about memory. According to Roland Barthes, a theorist of photography, a photograph is the “sovereign contingency” which means being dependent on something else happening. Photographers were used to preserve an event which in the past, it was only stored in our memory. Photography also records significant events in the history. It helps in saving real events happened in the past, for example, the assassination of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino and EDSA People Power which freed us from dictatorship. Next is employment which gave jobs through the introduction of new cameras and professionals in the fields of film, news casting, editing, and photojournalism. Photography also became accessible because nowadays, anyone could be a photographer with the new gadgets and equipments used in taking photographs. With this, photography seemed to be the most widely used art form. Speaking of art, photography was the reason why artists now had to find new modes of operation and seismic shifts in art production. It has already developed and improved much faster than arts. And last, but not the least is science and other related fields. Photography helps in researches and taking photographs of the things which contribute to the advancement and innovations.

       

                With all these effects on our society, photography is not a small field anymore. As Dirk Huds said, “Photography has changed the way we view the world.” It affects the life of every person it will influence. In every aspect, it has a contribution and often, it creates development and changes that help to further add more information essential in our progress. And as an asteroid, once it landed on Earth, photography will continue to keep burning as it becomes a part of our modern society.

Seven Out of Thirteen

Great minds contain ideas, solutions, and reasons. Scientific minds contain formulas, theories, and figures. But a photographer’s mind contains wild imagination.

 When someone comes to a place for the first time, just with a photographer’s mind can create a change to that place. Looking from left to right, and then up and down, calculating every angle of that place will form your hidden ideas. Suddenly, just a click from your camera records that very moment that seems to have stopped. The clouds above your head, the blue sky, the sunset, the green grass, the butterfly on top of the flower, the calmness of river, and everything else stop in an image, and last for a lifetime. That’s how powerful photography is.

But did you ever think how vast is photography? Well, personally I have never thought of that, but when I read an article related to this, it caught my attention. The title of this article is Types of Photography.

While I’m reading this article, I just can’t imagine how many areas photography has dominated. And to give you the list, here are some few types of photography taken from the article.

·         Photojournalism- this type is more appropriate for professional photographers because there should be no change or editing taken place on the photograph. Photojournalism is also applicable for news writing in order to express the true emotion, wholeness, and original story of a certain scene or photograph.

·         Documentary Photography- this is the type of photography which records the historical events or significant happenings in politics, and other related areas. Any topic can be its subject.

·         Action Photography- this is related to sports since it is mostly done with actions. The photographer has to know and observe the actions of his or her subject to foresee the time he or she is going to take a photograph.

·         Macro Photography- this type is obviously about taking photographs at a close range, and photographers use advanced cameras and equipments in order to capture a subject in close up and full details.

·         Microphotography- it contrasts the previous one because it deals with smaller subjects such as microscopic insects, bacteria, and others. This type suits for science-related subjects.

·         Glamour Photography- its goal is to capture the model in the most expressive way with the curves and shadows. Therefore, most of its images are daring, sensual, and mysterious.

·         Aerial Photography- from the word itself, it captures images from the air. Aside from cameras, aerial photographers use planes, ultra lights, parachutes, balloons, and remote controlled aircraft to help them take photographs.

        Can you now conceive a wider field of photography? Above are just some of them, and others include underwater photography, art photography, portraiture, wedding photography, advertising photography, and travel photography. In the article, the author mentioned thirteen types, but for me, there are still more to add because of our advanced world today. People are becoming more intelligent and creative that’s why there are new inventions and fields created. If this continues in the future, types of photography will be countless as years pass by.

From Humble Beginning

            Concerning biological aspects, evolution is the alteration of genes in a specific organism from one generation to another. This resulted to hereditary and the formation of new traits of that specie.

            

            

            Based on the theory of evolution proposed by Charles Darwin, we all started from a single cell. The gradually, it developed and modified to be various species. And humans, originated from Homo’s or monkeys became sophisticated and more advanced over a period of time until we get to this stage.

            

            Maybe in some, there was no change happened but just like the theory of evolution; photography has also gone through this stage. And as I was doing my research, I have come crossed this article The Evolution of the Camera by Amanda White. It talked about the important happenings and persons involved on the history of photography or specifically the advancement of camera in successive generations.

Here is to some up:

·         1827- first camera  was invented when Joseph Nicephore made the first fixed image

·         1837- establishment of the first permanent photograph by Louis-Jacques Mande Daguerre and Joseph Nicephore

·         1940- production of the first colored photographs

·         1948- the release of the first Polaroid camera in the market

·         1960- introduction of the first underwater camera to the public

·         1986- creation of disposable cameras

·         1981- at last, the invention of first digital camera

Cameras can still be improved as years pass by because of our modern technology and getting wider knowledge about these things. Unlike what happened to humans in the theory of evolution where scientists asked why we stop from evolving when we get to this stage, is evolution really true? Well for photography, this can be true. After digital cameras, we now have cameras on our cell phones, iPhones, tablets and many other gadgets which make it more accessible. For professional photographers, there are now lots of SLR and DSLRs in the market together with lenses which improved the quality of images or photographs.

Assignment for October 10, 2012

         1.  Narrow down topic.

Topic: Photography

·         Technology on photography

·         Application of modern technology and gadgets on photography

·         Effects of the application of modern technology and gadgets on photography
·                      Effects of photography technology on youth culture

       2. Make tentative outline.

     I. Definition and Types

     II. Photography Technology

          A. Application of modern technology on photography

1. Usage of new gadgets and its availability

2. Usage of software in editing photographs

3. Involvement of social media sites

III. Effects of Photography Technology on youth culture

       3. Informal:

In the final analysis, it is not only important that we are good in taking photographs or having the latest and most accessible camera. We have to be artistic in our own way. We have to build a wide and wild imagination and then apply it when taking photographs. Think of the unusual thing that the viewer should see only in your photo and different to others even though it has so many replicas already. In that way, you create your personal style. Moreover, you will be acknowledged and known through your unique photographs. And this may be the start of your growing career in photography!

      Formal:

        The importance of taking photograph does not rely only on the ability and skills or possessing the latest and most accessible equipment. The key to have a personal style is the artistic choice. Building a wide and wild imagination would have an effect and progress to photographs when applied. One way to impress the viewers in an ordinary photograph is by fixing an unusual thing on it. Unparalleled photographs can lead to fame, renown, and success in a photography career.

       4. Statement of the Problem

This study aims to answer this question:

                1. What are the effects of photography technology on youth culture?

Own Your Photo!

Have you experienced when somebody has just copied your work? And then he/she intends to pass it as if it is his/her own work? Irritating right?

Here’s another: You have an output or drawing in the past that you have made and has already checked by your teacher. And then, someone or a good friend of yours saw it. By the time he/she encountered to do the same thing, your friend decided to just imitate your own output having the same color, style, or simply, the whole drawing! It is like an identical twin which maybe the difference only is just a mole in the forehead or an inch of height. If you have felt that angry feeling, well I hope we did not encounter the same person. Oh just kidding! What I mean is everyone must practice originality. We have to do our own work with our own sense of style.

Even in photographs, we might be seeing the one which is similar to us and thought it’s our own but actually, both of you have just gone to the same place and took a picture of that view having the same angle, style and setting.

For an instance, you are given a chance to visit the Land of the Rising sun which is Japan. And there you will find the Mount Fuji and the amazing cherry blossom trees during winter season. What a magical view right? You would probably take a photo of it.

The problem here is just like the problem introduced by Mr. Alain Briot when I read his article Why Personal Style is Important.

Basically, he explained the benefits of having a personal style in taking photographs. Based on what I read, typically we cannot create a unique photograph in famous places with majestic views and sceneries unless we have our personal style. Without it, our photograph would just look the same as the other photos taken by the photographers who have also been there. There is nothing unusual about it and the only difference maybe is the angle of view, cameras used in taking photos or the season and time of the day we took the picture.

And then Mr. Briot answered the question why should we acquire a personal style by this:

“…Because personal style is based on art, not on technique. Art is the only thing a machine (cameras) or software cannot do. This is because art is the outcome of your emotional response to the subject, not the result of a technical process.”

For me, it means that no technology or software could manipulate a photograph and turn it into your personal styled photograph. He also stated in his article that the difference between our work and other photographer’s work is the artistic choices we make or the artistic content of our work.

In the final analysis, it is not only important that we are good in taking photographs or having the latest and most accessible camera. We have to be artistic in our own way. We have to build a wide and wild imagination and then apply it when taking photographs. Think of the unusual thing that the viewer should see only in your photo and different to others even though it has so many replicas already. In that way, you create your personal style. Moreover, you will be acknowledged and known through your unique photographs. And this may be the start of your growing career in photography! :)

As part of my research, here are my follow-up questions:

1. What could be the effect of having similar photographs in the situation of the photographer and with others in the society?

2. Why do people love taking photographs when they are in beautiful places?

3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of photography in the society?

And with these questions, I may find the answers through more research and articles or surveys regarding these issues.