Monthly Archives: September 2018

Week 9 Reflection – Video

Posted on by under Instagram, Reflections

How did you author (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?

I recorded this video on my iPhone SE with the rear camera. My phone camera has this weird spot on it at the moment so that affected how I was going to frame the shot, but also trying to frame a door from so close was really hard. However I was more going for the noise/action of the video rather than the aesthetic of it. I didn’t use any flash, but added the “reyes” filter to it and dialled it down a bit. I only did one shot and didn’t segment the video as I wanted it to be one continuous flow to show how annoying the sound of the door is, however on reflection it could have been cool if I just added together lots of little videos of the moments it was squeaking. I kept the audio on this video because it was the main point of the video, however after this I feel like similar videos like this aren’t especially suited to Instagram because it’s such an image based platform. Everything is competing for your eyes so basing your post on sound would not be an effective method unless it had nice imagery attached. It just won’t have the same reach. Also in terms of quality of the video – it must have been my dying phone making all those annoying noises in the wind and it really took away from the effectiveness and listenability of the video. I tried several times but couldn’t seem to solve this problem.

How did you publish (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?

It took me a few goes before I actually could time the video to capture the annoying noise of the door, so there was definitely more than one take getting this right and the curation process was simple – get a video that has the sound right. I didn’t feel the need to add the location but because it was just my suburb (even though I added it for the photo, I’m just experimenting), but I did add a singular hashtag. This is more the kind of hashtag you would find on a personal account though, as it’s a joke rather than a hashtag that generates any amount of traffic. I configured the video to play immediately so the viewer would understand what the post was about rather than forcing them to click on the play button on a boring looking video.

How did you distribute (the photo or video) you published on Instagram to other social media services?

I’d set up the linked Tumblr and Twitter accounts for the photo this week, so as well as on Instagram I easily published the video onto those platforms as well. To be honest I like the look of no location on Twitter better, as it doesn’t seem to make the Tweet so cluttered and unreadable. However it may be less effective in the way that locations can serve as a way of generating curiosity and making viewers want to see the Instagram photo/video. As such I’m undecided on what’s best here. Sharing the video on Tumblr is more effective but in comparison to other published tumblr videos and pictures I still don’t love the look of “see more on Instagram” and the doubling up of hashtags in the caption and down the bottom, as well as the URL being shared in the caption.

 

Week 9 Reflection – Photo

Posted on by under Instagram, Reflections

View this post on Instagram

My front door. #door #doors #adoorable #frontdoor

A post shared by James Bowman (@a.d00r.able) on

How did you author (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?
For this photo I used my iPhone SE. Typically iPhones don’t take great photos without a lot of light, and I found this to be the case here. While my phone is relatively outdated I can still often take some decent photos with it, particularly if I use the rear camera as I did here. However I feel like the the quality of it is impacted by the low level of light. This, combined with the square/size restriction of the Instagram app meant that I struggled to find a position to take a photo I was really happy with, and thus reduced the overall quality of the photo in my eyes. In terms of editing, all I used was the “Gingham” filter but I reduced it so the shot didn’t seem overly edited, pixelate more and further reduce the quality. There was no flash used in this shot. Generally I use my camera app to take the photos before I import them into Instagram. I do this mostly because I feel like it gives me more flexibility with the size and framing of the shot. I’ll take a few and decide which one is best for Instagram. With this shot however, I took the photo in the Instagram app with the sole purpose of uploading it to Instagram, and while the shot sizing suits the app more I didn’t like that restricted feeling as much.

How did you publish (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?
The publication process for this was a relatively simple one. I didn’t take many photos in the last week, nor did I take many when I decided on my subject. Generally, however, my curation process is based on primarily the quality, lighting and size of the pictures. I added a location of my suburb before upload to maybe get some local following, and I also added 4 hashtags. The number was determined by the number of door-related hashtags I could actually think of, however now I think I’ll stick to three hashtags as the optimal number. Maybe I’ll go with doors, adoorable and one other that something to do with the specific door I’m documenting. My text caption is merely to give the photo some context.

How did you distribute (the photo or video) you published on Instagram to other social media services?
When I made the Instagram account I linked a Tumblr and Twitter account so that they would be ready to go as soon as I wanted to post. Once I did this it made it super easy to just select both apps when editing/publishing my photo onto Instagram so that then they automatically were published to Tumblr and Twitter as well. In relation to hashtags this transition seems to work well Twitter because, like Instagram, it uses hashtags as a way of categorising and archiving posts. However on Tumblr it’s not quite as neat. While Tumblr does use the hashtag function in a way, it doesn’t remove the useless hashtags in the caption. Instead it just doubles up the hashtags down the bottom, making it look a bit more cluttered in my opinion. I also don’t love the look of the  “(at Ringwood North, Victoria, Australia)” for Tumblr and the “@ Ringwood North, Victoria, Australia” on Twitter when I’ve added a location to my Instagram post. I think this again makes the post a little cluttered and I’d rather that the viewer finds out the location after clicking onto the Instagram post. While I didn’t distribute this photo to Facebook, I have found in the past that this is probably the most seamless cross-platform publication method.

Assignment 2 – Review

Posted on by under Assignments, Legacy Photography, Legacy Video, Online Photography, Online Videography

James Bowman
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I Declare that in submitting all work for this assessment I have read, understand and agree to the content and expectations of the assessment declaration – https://www.rmit.edu.au/students/support-and-facilities/student-support/equitable-learning-services=

Blog Reflections
Week 5: Legacy Photography (practice analysis)
Week 6: Legacy Video (practice analysis)
Week 7: Online Photography (practice analysis)
Week 8: Online Video (practice analysis)

Review

1. Provide your own definition (in your own words) on ‘photography’ in relation to legacy and online media, by referring to the readings, additional research and the practice analyses completed in your blog.

Photography, at it’s most basic level, is using a camera to capture an image of something using a light sensor to then make it permanent. Traditionally this image was stored onto something physical, such as film, and thus speaks to what we now consider legacy photography. Now online media and digital technology means that the vast majority of images are stored digitally, either on their phone or published on apps like Instagram. Legacy photography refers to when the average person did not have access to a camera. Rather, photography was something that only professionals could afford to do. Henri Cartier-Bresson is an example of this. His wealth afforded him the ability to devote the time into producing quality images, and more importantly his wealth allowed him to use and access the then very expensive equipment required to produce photographs. I discussed another example of a legacy photograph by Kevin Carter here. It’s an example of how legacy media was when “photojournalists [were] dispatched to the world’s remote corners that few of us could regularly access”, and “advertisers trying to sell us chunks of that world” (Zylinska 2016, p. 7).

This changed with the invention and utilisation of camera phones and wireless communication. These afforded anyone with a smart phone the ability to be a photographer, and even become “distributors, archivists and curators of the light traces immobilised on photo-sensitive surfaces” (Zylinska 2016, p. 7). This speaks to the idea that modern photography is not just a result of the camera phone, but perhaps more significantly the ability for camera phones to then publish and distribute to apps like Instagram for anyone else around the world to engage with.

2. Provide your own definition (in your own words) on ‘video practice’ in relation to legacy and online media, by referring to the readings, additional research and the practice analyses completed in your blog.

Like in photography, legacy video only allowed those who could afford the equipment needed to produce video, as well as the means (or knowing someone who did) to edit and publish the video, to actually do so. However the invention of portable video equipment (1965)”exploded in many directions simultaneously” (Horsfield 2006, p. 3), and allowed non-professionals to create video for the first time. Some of these legacy practices included video being used as political tools to decentralise communications systems and media outlets, as well as being used by media activists to “document a new type of direct-from-the-scene reportage that was not manipulated” (Horsfield 2006, p. 3), and was therefore seen as an unbiased medium. Another significant legacy video practice that emerged was video art, of which Nam June Paik was the pioneer (I talk about one of his installations here). Previous to the release of camcorders, video was very centralised. However Paik began the trend of using video for personal expression, particularly after new video equipment was released in the early 70s that “allowed more complex visualising effects” (Horsfield 2006, p. 5). However even during this time there was still relatively limited access to the everyday person due to the expensive costs associated the recording, storing and editing of video. This is where online media changed things again. Similarly to what happened with photography, online media allows anyone with a phone camera to record, edit, publish and distribute their video data, without the physical restrictions that were once associated with legacy video. As a result, video is even more decentralised, allowing for even more personal expression and becoming more intertwined with everyday life through apps like Instagram.

3. What differences and similarities did you discover between the way legacy and online photos are authored, published and distributed?

The authoring of legacy photography was very centralised. The equipment costs as well as time that needed to learn about the equipment meant that relatively few people could engage with authoring photos in the legacy era. This limitation meant that the authoring of photos emphasised professional quality, and the scarceness of the medium meant that more significance was attributed to the taking of each photo. Conversely, convenience plays a huge role in the way that online photos are authored.  Palmer states that “sensor size and megapixel count have become secondary to the basic convenience of  the networked mobile device” (2014, p. 246). Therefore quality and professionalism matters less and there is much less significance placed on a single photo. The increased prevalence of photo taking also means that there are more mundane photos taken, but also more intimate (Palmer, 2014). The authoring of online photos may even be influenced apps like Instagram, which may influence the tone or style of photos that people author if they want to publish them on that specific app (think size, filtering, colouring, captioning etc.).

This leads to how the publishing and distribution of legacy and online photos is again, extremely different. Legacy photo predominately paid for  marketed, published and distributed by professional organisations. Again this relates to the coupling of terms like ‘professional’ and ‘quality’ with legacy photography. In comparison, the huge volume of online photos is now just an endless data flow rather than an individual image (Zylinska, 2016).  Online media apps like Instagram can also affect the way photos are authored and published, as they have the affordances of publishing to your followers but constraints on things such as the dimensions of photos being published.

4. What differences and similarities did you discover between the way legacy and online videos are authored, published and distributed?

Like legacy photography, legacy video wasn’t easy to access for the everyday person. Perhaps it was even more so than photography it could be argued, particular in relation to the time, knowledge and equipment required to edit video. While Nam June Paik was able to create video art, he still needed the income of the Rockefeller Foundation to actually fund his projects, something not available to anyone. As such the authoring or legacy video, other than video art, is typically pretty linear and straightforward as editing was not as easy as it is with online videos. Authoring and editing online videos is much easier, whether it be on the phone camera itself or in apps like Instagram. Instagram in particular allows for both artistic expression in video, like Rachel Ryle, who operates within the time constraints (she creates 30 second clips) of video publishing on the app, but it also allows for the publishing of again more intimate and mundane videos due to the ease of use and ability of virtually anyone to author them. Online video “can be networked, shared, downloaded and re-used with ease” (Berry 2018, p.8), which can not be said about legacy video.

Like photos, legacy video was still tied to the idea of professional. Contrastingly, an example of more personal and decentralised online video, is how vloggers author and publish their content. Particular in the formative years of the form, many videobloggers self-identified as amateur (Berry, 2018), directly going against the traditional notion of professionals only producing video as was the case in the legacy era.

References:
– Kuc K, Zylinska J, 2016 Photomediations: A Reader, Open Humanities Press, London, UK.
– Horsfield K, 2006, Busting the Tube: A Brief History of Video Art, Video Data Bank, School of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, US.
– Palmer D, 2014, Mobile Media Photography, The Routledge Companion to Mobile Media, London, UK.
– Berry T, 2018, Video Blogging Before YouTube, Institute of Network Cultures, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

 

Online Videography – Rachel Ryle

Posted on by under Online Videography, Reflections

This week we’ve taken a look at online videography, particularly in relation to Instagram. The subject I have chosen is Rachel Ryle. While she isn’t a traditional videographer in the sense that her videos are primarily animations and illustrations, it is an example of how artists and influencers are using the Instagram video function to gain audience leverage and sell their brand. Today she has 1.1 million Instagram followers, and while she uses other platforms Ryle says that Instagram is still her “main focus”.

The video I’m discussing is below.

View this post on Instagram

I love when I gain inspiration from talented people that I've met on @Instagram. Even better, I love when I find ways to collaborate with them & get the opportunity to point my spotlight their way! I've been a fan of @chrisburkard's account for years, and I created this piece out of my adoration & respect for his work. His adventurous spirit and ability to capture the places he goes is inspiring & captivating. Last year he released a stunning documentary about an Icelandic surf trip that recently got picked up by Netflix! The moment I watched it I was inspired to make this animation. Within this piece I did my best to retell his story through the world of my art. It took me nearly a month to conceptualize & complete, with a lot of attention to detail & tricky parts to figure out along the way. The whole time I thought about his dedication to his craft, and how it's always worth pushing yourself to new limits in the effort to make something new for others to enjoy. My hope with creating this piece is that it will encourage you to follow his awesome account and that you'll go watch his film, "Under An Arctic Sky" (available on Netflix & iTunes)! I promise you'll be inspired…& if you are, give it a good rating! A huge thank you to the team at @ChrisBurkardStudio for providing me with the footage & to @juliancisneros for the film's original music! Here's to supporting other creators & their creativity! #stopmotion #animation #illustration #art #instavideo #instavid #surfing #travel #iceland #UnderAnArcticSky #chrisburkard

A post shared by Rachel Ryle (@rachelryle) on

Who is the practitioner (what is their name and their Instagram handlebar?) and when were they practicing?
Rachel Ryle (@rachelryle) is an award-winning animator and illustrator. While she has illustrated for a long time, it was only in 2013 that she started animating. Her first attempt (which she posted to YouTube) that was made in 2013 is miles away from the quality she produces now.

With the photo you are examining when was it produced ?
The video was published in May of 2018, however she says the video took nearly a month to conceptualise and produce. She says that on average a 30 second clip will take 4 to 5 days of conceptualising, illustrating, filming and editing before completion.

How was the video authored and published?

While I’m not completely sure of the process or the camera she uses, Rachel illustrates and cuts all the objects in her videos and then animates them together in a sequence, kind of like stop-motion. I love the way she makes her videos a loop, so that the last frame of the video is the same as the starting frame, making it really aesthetically pleasing.

The video was published on her Instagram @rachelryle page.

How was the video distributed?
The video was distributed on both YouTube and Facebook, as well as the Instagram page. Interestingly, despite Ryle’s already large following, she still sees the need to add 11 hashtags to this particular video to create further circulation and wider distribution of the video.

Online Photography – Konsta Punkka

Posted on by under Online Photography, Reflections

The photo being examined can be found here.

Who is the practitioner (what is their Instagram handle?) and when were they practicing?
Konsta Punkka (@kpunkka), a 23 year old Finnish wildlife and landscape photographer. Konsta bought his first DLSR at 17 years old and began photographing his friends skateboarding and local bands. It was only after awhile that he began to really take an interest in wildlife photography, particularly focused on the local wildlife in Finland.

He talks a little about himself and his passion for wildlife photography here.

With the photo you are examining when was it produced?
It was produced on July 28, 2018 during “the aftermath of the blood moon”. He was in Northern Norway at the time almost missed it, but managed to take this shot before the moon went down for the day.

How was the photo authored and published?
This photo would have been taken on a DLSR of some sort (he often uses Nikon and sometimes Olympus cameras), however there isn’t a way of being sure of what the exact camera was or what editing software was used. Interestingly, I found a YouTube video that gives a Lightroom tutorial on how to make your photos look like Punkka’s here. Whether Punkka actually uses Lightroom I’m not sure, but I found it an interesting point that someone felt that he had a distinct enough editing tone to make a tutorial on how to replicate it.
This photo was published only on his Instagram page @kpunkka.

How was the photo distributed?
This photo was only distributed through the Instagram page, however this isn’t the case for a lot of his photos. As outlined on his website, Punkka often collaborates with or does work for various companies such as National Geographic, Greenpeace, ICOS, Sony, Huawei Smartphones, OnePlus, Nikon, SanDisk, Volvo, Adobe, Olympus, Icelandair, 66North, Yleisradio, Visit Switzerland, and Visit Canary Islands. Certain photos will also be published by media publications that contact him and thus will be distributed that way as well, so his Instagram is a mixture of commissioned photos that will be published and distributed elsewhere and photos just for his Instagram.
An example of him doing commissioned work can be found here, as he went to Namibia with a group of other photographers sponsored by Olympus.
This may change however when, as he mentions in the interview linked above, he publishes a book of his work and will therefore diversify the distribution of some of his photos.

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