Which essay from the assigned chapter spoke to your own experience the most? Summarize the main points of the essay and give a personal anecdote that elaborates on why this article spoke to you the most. Which essay made you think about photography in a new way, or spoke to experiences you may not have been as familiar with? Again, summarize the article and explain why this essay has reshaped your ideas about photography. Write your 200 word (minimum) response below. Make sure to put your name in the comment.
Presentations
10/3 Kristen McCallister
10/8 Lee Taylor
The section I found particularly interesting that I wanted to write and talk about was the “How we perceive ourselves” section, written by Jim Moore. He goes on to talk about how his wife, JoAnn Verburg, photographed him for twenty-five years starting when they became serious with each other. He goes on to talk about how he felt flattered at first, only for his perception of this changing to that of interest, as he observers her while she observes him. Being photographed would sometimes be boring, but for Jim, it became more meditative and, most often, sleep inducing, which caused many of his wife’s photo’s to be of him asleep. He thinks that this is, perhaps, his wife practicing for his death.
ReplyDeleteNext he talks about his main idea of his piece, and that is the idea that he, as a model for his wife, will hopefully and can become that of another person in his entirety. He then goes on to say that posing for his wife’s photos is that of a sensual experience, that of letting you be yourself, wholeheartedly, with nothing in the way between you and the camera. I thought this was interesting cause, in a way, photography can capture you in your most natural, most You state, even if you don’t realize it. Even if you’re putting on a pose, or an expression, or an act in its entirety, photography can capture you, and only you, especially if you let it, like mister Jim Moore did.
- Kris McCallister
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ReplyDeleteIn Photography Changes What We’re Willing to Reveal of Ourselves by Tien Nguyen, he talks about a time when he found an old photo of himself in elementary school. In the image he is smiling slightly almost a fake smile, but he says it wasn’t. He then talks about a more recent photo of himself where he is making the same facial expression but claims that in this image, he is hiding his emotions and in the younger one he is expressing his emotions. Based on his responses to both images, I believe that when he was younger, he was showing true happiness in the photo. He complains, I’m assuming because he doesn’t understand how he could be so vulnerable as to expose his true feelings in the photo. However, he complains about his more recent image because he is hiding his emotions. In this photo he is also smiling slightly, so he says, but this time it’s a fake smile. Since the smile was fake and he complains about hiding his emotions, I assume he was feeling a different way at the time, maybe sad or upset. Obviously, he was hiding whichever emotion with a fake smile. I’m not sure what he would consider to be a good picture of himself since he didn’t approve of showing emotion or hiding it.
ReplyDeleteI chose this article because it makes me think about how when posting pictures on social media, we choose what we want to reveal about ourselves and don’t. Some choose to photograph and post every vulnerable moment in their life, which can be very meaningful. They’ll post how a life event made them feel and how they reacted to it sometimes in videos. Others are private about their life when posting pictures online. They’ll post less meaningful pictures to keep their life more private. Some people are a mixture and they choose which moments they want public and which to keep private. Maybe even some are like Tien and don’t quite approve of either.
-Kenjinique Davis
'Photography Changes How We Perceive Ourselves' by Jim Moore, talked about how his wife would photograph him a lot throughout their marriage. There would be periods where she would photograph him often and then there would be a period where there wouldn’t be any photographs taken. Moore expressed that when his wife would photograph him it would give him time to reflect on the things like getting to know his wife as he was being photographed, or being present and relaxing when he was being photographed.
ReplyDeleteOften times when put in front of the camera I personally get insecure of what could be seen through the lens. I care far too much of my outward appearance and what my thoughts are of the photo. The reality is that the photographer is actually the one that sees what I don’t see myself being the model. Moore being a poet was able to contemplate the complexities of ‘death’ and how his wife was preparing for it. His wife was using her own technique to cope and deal with it and he was reflecting on how his work often deals with death. Most of the time there is a peaceful time to reflect on the things that weigh on the soul, other times there is a freedom that comes with being free to express oneself in front of the camera and be reminded of that freedom in a snapshot.
-Claire Rodgers
From Chapter 3, the essay that spoke to me the most was “Photography Changes Our Luck In Love” by Mindy Stricke. In this essay, Stricke describes how her friend complained to her about not getting recognized by anyone online after all the work she put into creating her online dating profile. After seeing the profile picture she was using, one that lacked any photographic prowess, she took it into her hands and became an online dating photographer. She has helped numerous people regain their self-confidence as a result of the increased online attention they received solely from their carefully and thoughtfully set up photos. Though it’s not an easy job, she enjoys the satisfaction she feels from helping others and making the online dating experience less stressful for them.
ReplyDeleteIn my own experience, I more often than not wonder why I don’t look as good in the pictures I take, or why I don’t look as good as I see myself in the mirror. This article has made me reevaluate how I take my pictures, and after thinking about it, I take pictures similar to the ones Stricke encounter when she first meets with her clients. Those kinds of pictures are those that are blurry, out of focus, and of awkward distance and angles. I now understand that just being a little more thoughtful when taking not only my own pictures, but those of others, can drastically improve the quality of photo that is taken, something I want to begin incorporating in my work.
In the article, Photography Changes What We’re Willing to Reveal of Ourselves, author Tien Nguyen goes into some emotional detail about how he found an old photograph of himself, smiling, and how irritating this made him feel. He then explains that he found another, much more recent, photograph of himself wearing a fake grin. He seems to be at war with himself in this article, seeing himself in the past when he was in a much happier and care-free state, compared to how he is feeling in the present. He also goes and says how he does not really feel like sharing these emotions with anyone, and in the beginning, not even with himself.
ReplyDeleteWith the title of the article, I think Nguyen has come to a realization about how he is currently feeling, and is probably doing something about it to better himself. At least, I hope that is the situation. It is true that seeing old photographs make us realize how we have changed as people, and if we like how we have changed, then we can keep doing what we are doing. However, if we were happier in the past than we are now, perhaps action can be taken in more ways than one.
-Olivia Teague