With the proliferation of digital cameras, photo sites such as Flickr, and the ubiquitous nature of photo sharing via the internet, has the still photographic image lost its power or impact in regards to visual communication? In other words, since we are bombarded by still images in the real world and cyberspace, has the photographic image lost its "specialness" as a vehicle of communication? What are your thoughts? Please explain and defend your stance
In my opinion it has lost a portion of its specialness. When anything becomes widespread and accessible weather thats fashion, music or a restaurant, it looses the cool factor. However, I don't think it has lost any of its power, with more and more people becoming skilled with photography we are "exposed" to hundreds to thousands of images a week. The more you see the more you know and vice versa.
ReplyDeleteEssentially, it is common for ordinary people to have high skill and taste in photography which forces us to improve and push the boundaries of photography, making it an increasingly powerful medium that will never be replaced.
If anything, the widespread use of digital cameras has forced photography to step up its game. "Pretty good" is no longer enough to draw attention; anybody with a decent camera from Best Buy and a few pointers from Google can do that. Photographers that want to stand out these days have to make their shots mean more than they did a decade ago when almost nobody had a digital camera.
ReplyDeleteTo a degree I can see how it could be said that photographs have lost their specialness, since once something has become common then it no longer is set apart as being different. However, since the majority of photos taken today are by amateurs, it makes professional ones even more worthwhile. No amount of pictures in a Facebook album is going to trump the power of a well-shot and ordered photo story.
I feel that a collaboration of more minds can always lead to greatness. But if there are too many ideas it can also lead to an utter mess.
ReplyDeleteWith so many people who are able to post pictures online (via Facebook, blogs, etc.) a standard photo has lost it's value. But I believe that when you have a lot of really "bad" photos, the "good" ones tend to stand out more. It's all about contrast and opposition.
With photography as subjective as a Picasso painting, you really need to understand the semiotics involved in order to reach that higher level of appreciation.
I don't think that photography has lost it's power. We are bombarded with more pictures each day than any other time in history. This is a day and age where photographs are second nature and they are a large part of our communication. It's like learning a second language, but just because the photograph is so widespread, doesn't mean that photography or impactful, powerful, beautiful photography is dead.
ReplyDeletePoetry was never lost because words were overused, Musical Artistry hasn't gone extinct because more and more people are learning instruments, and I don't think the art of taking a powerful photo will go away just because pictures are a daily part of our lives now.
It may just mean we have more poorly taken amateur photographs to search through to find the greatness hidden within. But I believe a great photograph will never lose it's worth.
I feel like the potential power/impact of the still photographic image as a tool for visual communication is subjective. I feel like it's power relies on the viewer. I could look at a photo and not get any emotion from it, but someone else may feel it is "special." Everyone has different tastes and experiences that could affect the power of a photo.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that it has lost its power entirely, but it is much more commonplace and like anything, once we've lost the initial "cool factor," it takes more to make us stop and take a second look.
ReplyDeleteThere are still images that can make a statement or, and some that are breathtaking or gruesome, but it takes more to impress us now. Even expensive cameras and more professional-looking photography has become a hobby for a lot of people. In a sense, the wonder of how a photographer achieved a certain look has been unraveled through every day photographers.
But that is also really empowering, too, that we have the capacity and resources to create beautiful and powerful images, and to preserve everyday experiences in artistic ways.
And there are still photographers who are able to capture moments in a way that is still unique and captivating.
Have pictures lost their special-ness? Perhaps. On the other hand, I often have a feeling of appreciation and thankfulness for the technology and exponential expansion of picture taking after spending an hour or two browsing "Awkward Family Photos" or other such sites. While pictures may have lost their special-ness of being unique and limited (limited by resources like film, money and availability to be seen) it has been made up for by endless amounts of story telling. While most people can't take a picture that tells a thousand words, most can take 100 pictures that tell 10 words each. And then upload those pictures to that facebook place. Or Instagram. Or Pinterest. So, when in Rome...
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that photos have lost their specialness. I just think that they have taken on many new forms on the internet. Each form has its own characteristics that give it meaning. For example, Facebook photos are often not "artistic" but they are often one of the easiest ways for people to stay "connected" to others. So in that case, they are still being used as vehicles of communication.
ReplyDeleteOther photos on the internet still stay true to an "artistic" form. They are just harder to find since the web is being bombarded with these quick photos. But I do believe that there are many photos that you can find on the web that help enhance and inspire.
Photos have not lost their specialness, but they have taken on a new meaning with the internet.
In a way, I agree that photos have lost their specialness. I remember reading about a photographer taking a picture from his plane during World War One as he flew over Europe and his description of how challenging it was to swap out the photo frame, getting the flash bulbs ready, focusing it in, etc. Back in the day, it was a real talent to take a photo. Now that they're so commonplace and any little kid can operate a camera, they aren't special, not in that respect.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I still think photos can convey so much more then just words alone. I agree that beautiful, amazing pictures can still stand out. Because photographers can't be distinct and famous for typical,straight forward shots, they have developed more interesting ways to express themselves. They focus on angles, colors, framing...those things give a photo so much more depth. Photographers have taught their audience to look out for things like that. Now audiences can analyze a photo to be more then just a snapshot to retain a memory. They are just as artistic as other forms of art.
Has the photograph lost its specialness? That question is difficult to answer, growing up in an era where I can barely remember anything else. I would like to take a strong stance on one side of the discussion, but my opinion would be based on a speculation of what I assume photography used to be like before web sharing was popular. My generation will be, I imagine, always remembered for the birth of social networking and digital media.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I believe that the art of photography has lost(or is losing rather) a bit of an edge as digital photos continue in popularity. Not to say that great photos are any less powerful, rather they are just a lower percentage than they used to be of the total number of photographs out there. Great photos are harder to come by because of the increased accessibility of digital cameras. Photos are not as much of a process as they used to be. No purchasing film. No dark room. No real time investment, for the majority of picture takers (I will not call them photographers for the sake of my arguement). It is so easy to snap a digital pic and just as easy to upload it to the web, that the art form that is photography has almost become more of an art form. It is rarer to witness an inspiring photo that communicates a positive message as powerfully as it can. It is less common to see a photograph that motivates a person to change.
I would say that all photos tell a story. Even those hand-held, self-portrait, take-a-pic-of-myself-in-the-mirror shots convey a message about that person. But it takes a true artist, a true photographer to capture the essence of a scene and stir the viewer. Real photography provokes thoughts, ideas, and actions.
I answer no, photography has not lost it's ability to communicate powerfully, as long as it's done right. And if anything it has gained specialness, so long as we don't categorize those previously-mentioned, mirror-type "pics" as photos.
William Zinsser said it well: when writing became digital and widely available (ie- when the word processor came out) "two opposite things happened: good writers got better and bad writers got worse." Precisely because good writers were empowered with more control in reviewing, editing, and refining their work--meanwhile bad writers "became even more verbose because writing was suddenly so easy..." The story of the digital word parallels the story of the digital photo--good photographers are empowered to be better--to do things they couldn't do before, and bad photographers got worse because they bad photography got so much easier.
ReplyDeleteHence, the possibilities of photography are enhanced, but the overall product got diluted due to the sheer amount of novice/bad photos. For these reasons, I believe that the digital age has brought new "specialness" to photos, yet diluted the special ones through many thoughtless ones.
As always, the defining factor is the person holding the camera.
I think photography is a lot like advertising: most of it is just there. It's not really special, or communication anything, and some of it really sucks. But then there is that 10% that is better than all the crap. It's a beautiful, creative, and powerful form of communication.
ReplyDeletePhotography is so easily accessible to us. Most people take pictures because they want to capture memories for themselves. They aren't really trying to communicate a message to anybody. They are more for personal documentation.
Depending on how pictures are used and shared, they can communicate a message, even if they are poor quality. When you are holding a camera up to a mirror and making kissy lips for your myspace page, you are communicating a message that could be interpreted as, "I'm an idiot."
The pictures we looked at in class were in the artistic, powerful category.
The photographer had the INTENTION of communication emotion, which makes them different than other everyday "me and BFF shopping" pictures.
So, I think the intention and skill of the photographer is what makes a photo "special" or not in regards to visual communication.
We are a picture generation. We don't go a day with out seeing hundreds or thousands of pictures. To some pictures may have lost their "specialness" but even if it has, it is still communicating a message. Even if you see a picture and think that it isn't 'special' or doesn't communicate a message, I'm sure it does to someone in the world. Personally I feel that I see so many pictures every day that I don't take the time to look more closely at the picture and figure out it's meaning.
ReplyDeleteWith the proliferation of digital cameras, photo sites such as Flickr, and the ubiquitous nature of photo sharing via the internet, has the still photographic image lost its power or impact in regards to visual communication? In other words, since we are bombarded by still images in the real world and cyberspace, has the photographic image lost its "specialness" as a vehicle of communication? What are your thoughts? Please explain and defend your stance
ReplyDeleteTo me pictures have not lost neither their "specialness" nor power. With the population of earth always growing and as cameras become more accessible to the world it of course fills up the world with more clutter. With more and more people becoming or attempting to become photographers it makes it more competitive. However, the artists are still out there and as history has shown us they are getting better and better.
Great photographs stop you in your tracks (sometimes literally) they are art, they move you. Those types of photographs are rare. There may be hundreds of photos out there that might make you say "wow that's neat. But there are still photographs that can communicate some of the most powerful of messages. These ones stand out among the flickr sites, the tumblrs, the instagrams, and the mommy blogs and show the world their message and do it with one image and in one of the most powerful ways: simply.
Eventually certain things in our lives become mundane and monotonous. We stop looking around and noticing how amazing everything actually is. During my time in film, I constantly had people ask to see pictures of the things I've done. I had pictures here and there, maybe some with the actors or a cool set, but it was always the simple things that impressed and captivated people the most. An electrician moving a light. A grip on a ladder. A wide shot showing the cameras, lights, flags, video village, mixer, all the things that made up a set. To me these things were quite boring. I've seen it so many times. But to others, it was the most interesting of my collections.
ReplyDeleteTo get to the point, I think the mass influx of digital photos in a sense reminds us to look at everything. To be grateful for the things that surround us every day, that maybe we have stopped or forgotten to take notice. These small things often add up to be the most significant. I know I look back now and wish I had more of those type of shots I mentioned above. The pictures that have less meaning to me now are those with actors, stars if you will. It is the shots of those people I worked with and the environment I worked in that I enjoy the most.
I think the types of pictures posted remind us, or to those of us that it has a deeper meaning for, to always be grateful for what's around us, to capture it, and to cherish it.
To go along with it, I also think these types of photos add to those extra special photos that can be captured by photographers. Those types of pictures, the ones that capture a moment, capture and emotion, are made even more incredible among the sea of digital photographs. I'll echo what Nate said, these great photos can stop you in your tracks, they can be amazing and still have just as much power and importance as they have ever had.
The saying, “a picture says a thousand words” applies to every photograph whether taken by an amateur or by a professional. It is all about capturing a memory and that is what makes every photo special.
ReplyDeleteJust like what the book said about how when the camera was invented painters thought that they were going to lose their jobs. Well today is no different. Just because a large population has access to a camera and some sort photo manipulating skills, does not mean that professional or aspiring photographers are going to lose their jobs. As mentioned earlier by someone, photographers are just going to have to step up their game. They may have to put more thought and study photography a little deeper to produce higher quality and more meaningful photographs.
I believe that a person or artist’s work is only as good as they want it to be. The more time they put into photographs the more the viewers will get out them. No matter what a photograph will never lose its value because it is unique to the one person who captured that moment.
I think if anything, still photographs have gained more power and specialness. I know I've been able to see pictures I would've never seen before if it weren't for sites like pinterest, vi.sualize.us and flickr. I think it's caused photographers to step up their game and stand out from all the others that are putting their stuff out as well. It's come to anyone with a point and shoot, even a phone camera is a photographer.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting because we've seen this same trend in journalism. Now a days with twitter, blogs, and facebook---ianyone with any of these things is a journalist. It's just caused us to step up our game as journalists and hold our own.
To me its a good thing. It's raising the bar. I think it's also encouraged photographers (and people in general) to share and communicate ideas they might have otherwise not shared.Today your able to reach a mass and diverse audience. What might inspire me in a picture, might not inspire another person. What stops me in my tracks and knocks the breath out of me, might only evoke a simply shrug in someone else. And I think that's the real beauty of today. photographs are able to reach an audience that would appreciate and be inspired by them. Photographs are able to communicate just as much, if not more I feel in todays world, than in time past.
I feel like great photography is even more important now. With all of the facebook and flickr accounts and seeing still images ALL DAY, it makes it easier to appreciate great photography, and it makes me realize how much harder it is to capture a great picture.
ReplyDeleteWIth the bombardment rampant online it makes those who are truly talented shine the much more, and gain the recognition they deserve- rising above all us phonys out here.