This week, we spoke about the uses of photography in reference to Susan Sontag’s writing. In the excerpt my group and I discussed, she theorised that photography was becoming more of a”social rite, a defense against anxiety and a tool of power” (Sontag 1978), as opposed to an art form, which could be argued was its original purpose. She also stated that households with children were more likely to have a camera, further suggesting that the use of photography has evolved from art into a way to capture memories. With the development of social media, I would absolutely have to agree with her. For me personally, photography is a way to express myself creatively, but also a way to keep in touch with friends and family online.
Through this course, I would really love to develop my photography and storytelling skills. I really enjoy taking photos, however, many of my photos are taken on accident you could say. I see something I like, and I snap it. I would really like to try and be more thoughtful with my photography. This exercise really tackled this for me.
My style of photography is definitely more candid than thoughtful, however, taking self-portraits forces you to preempt that photograph and set up the shot before taking it. As self-portraiture is a much more hands-on form of photography you have to really think about what it is you’re trying to say with this photo before you take it. It’s safe to say, this exercise was outside my comfort zone as I did find I am much more comfortable being behind the camera, but it did force me to think more about what makes a great photo and a great story.
I really enjoyed reviewing other students’ work in the class too. My favourite of the classes work was Finnic’s. She really thought about her photos and about what she wanted them to say before she took them and it really showed in her work. I love how she thought outside the box too. Being confined to only a few things around you is really difficult, but I particularly loved the way she used her glasses to create a more interesting picture. I also really liked her colour story that she created and maintained throughout the three photographs.
This week’s class, really made me think about photography and its many forms and forced me to consider what role it might play in my life right now, versus the role that I would like it to play. I’m really looking forward to engaging with these concepts further and developing my creative skills so that I too can tell a story.
Reference
Sontag, S. (1978). Susan Sontag on photography. London, Great Britain: Allen Lane.
Photos By Finnic (3/11/2020), https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KfBSqayfVNWm62OKwmAW0nBlspT9eTrg