The Role of Photography in Communication

One of the definitions of communication is the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs. Years back, communication was delivered mainly through words with photographs for emphasis. I think, today, the balance has shifted toward photographs and video to deliver the message and away from the written word. Admittedly, television, with the power to deliver live feeds from battle fronts, natural disasters and school shootings has been a main contributor. However the emergence of the internet has made the photograph just as influential. This combination, along with the hurried lifestyles we all live today make it so much easier to just ‘surf the net’, peruse the photos and their captions and move onto the next item. No longer do we need to read the details, we have it all in one photograph and a few lines. Dozens of photographs can be uploaded to the internet for world wide viewing in mere minutes. Why would an individual spend countless hours writing descriptive details of the horrors of Iraq or the suffering of Katrina victims when they can shoot and upload hundreds of photographs that say it all? Last week, our professor mentioned the Civil War and the photography that took place then. I have a book on the Civil War at home as it is the one time in history I wish I had more time to spend understanding. Anyway, Richard, my 10 year old grandson was over. He, like most kids, has a non-existent attention span. However he pulled this book off the shelf and within 10 minutes, he was immersed in the Civil War. I explained high level what it was, why it occurred and how terribly tragic it was but the pictures in the book said all the things I didn’t say. He began to understand that this was a very sad and awful era in our history, he asked many questions and every time he comes to the apartment, he grabs the book. He’s not reading it, (although he is fully capable) he’s looking at the photographs and asking questions. So maybe the role of photography in communication is to get to all the people too busy to read, too young for a measurable attention span or those who want to know it all, about everything, right now. Sure, they may read more into a photograph than is there, or misinterpret, but this will spark conversation and that, too, is communication.

Lunar Ec;lipse

I had a tough time trying to capture the lunar eclipse, which occurred a few weeks back, with my digital camera but I did get a few half-way decent photos. The ones I took with my manual camera aren't very good as I did not have a telephoto lens and, subsequently, they came out looking like a white spot on a black background. My digital has a telephoto lens built in (but kept trying to adjust itself automatically). Anyway, I thought I would post these three. It will be a few years before we see another...maybe by then I'll have a lens worthy of capturing it!

Interesting Web Site

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this site already but there is a pretty nice website, photo.net, that has lots of photos to look through if you are just surfing around the net. The photos are uploaded by various photographers and the site is well organized. You can look through photos based on category, when they were uploaded, read critiques by members, etc. There are a wide range of categories to look through; Landscapes, Architecture, Street, Flowers, Fine Art, Events, Documentary, etc. The photos are color and are all digital but they are still nice to get a feel for composition and ideas for future projects. Speaking of motion the other night, there are some real great shots under the Sports category and grittiness of life is fairly evident in many of the Street shots. I included a couple I liked.

The sports one I like because of the way the rider is silhouetted against the light at the back of the tunnel and in the water on the street. The photo is dark but you can still make out the detail in the walls of the tunnel (even the grafitti) and what looks like street transit tracks on the street. I think this photo says a lot about teenagers, riding from the light of day, their youth, into the unknown world without hesitation or fear. The silhouette leaves his identity unknown making him any teenager in any city.

The street shot got me because of the sadness I see in the child's eyes and the look of despair in his dad's face. The child is zipped inside his dad's jacket to keep him warm. I sense a note of resignation in both their faces, how this can be apparent in a child so young I don't know but I think the photographer caught it well. The empty coffee cup is a mystery...did he just finish a cup of coffee or is he holding it out in the hopes of a handout from a passerby? The viewer can interpret this as he wishes.

Light & Shadow Assignment

I'm having lots of fun with this assignment...especially finding many different light sources, both inside and out. Not sure how the night ones will come out...I drove down to the Scituate lighthouse tonight (it's lit up in the evenings) and took a few shots...being there at night is a much different feeling than in the light of day. I hope that shows through in the photos (if they come out). Also, the light coming in my bedroom window this morning produced some great shadow effects on the wall. Had to stop what I was doing to take a few frames...