#armandooliver

[photographyatmit]

Blogpost #2

I agree with the vast majority of the points in the Sontag reading. In particular, I really resonate with the discussion on how picture-taking can go from being a way to preserve an experience, enhancing what was already a pleasant experience, to being the primary motive for doing something. With the rise of social media, this is surely much more prevalent today than it was at the time of writing. I also concur with the view that photographs of atrocities can make them "appear familiar, remote, [and] inevitable."

As for the Flusser reading, I found it remarkably abstract to a level I had never thought possible. Though I did read all of it, I will need to discuss it further if I am to really grasp its contents.

I will lastly comment on The Many Lives of William Klein, which I greatly enjoyed. The style of Klein's photographs was brilliant, from the intentionally blurry frames to the variety of the "characters" portrayed. I would be interested in trying to imitate his style in my own photographs.

Some questions for discussion are: Do you agree with Sontag's stance that all images, including those making "a virtue of plainness," contain a sort of implicit aggression? (Note that agreeing to this is not equivalent to saying "simple image bad".) What did you make of the Flusser reading?

[photographyatmit]

Blogpost #1

I mainly interact with video images in my day-to-day life, primarily in the form of video podcasts. I do not have any formal education in the medium. I have not taken many photos recently. However, I have recently noticed their effectiveness for storing memories, and should make an effort to take more photos to that end. Many a time I have completely forgotten something I did in the past, remembering it only after viewing a photograph of said event. I do not use social media. I appreciate and enjoy good photographs, as well as good video-making, including films and internet videos.

The image that has most recently marked me is one of two birds standing on a power line. The image was taken by my friend in a time when we would hang out very often. Although neither of us ever explicitly mentioned it, I think we both saw the birds as representing us.