Video Responses

We watched several short (and longer) videos in class regarding the concept of photography and the gravity behind such a radical idea. Here are my required responses to the chosen videos:


Masters of Illusion

Though a bit dated, this video still contained relevant information to present day and presented an interesting view point that I had not considered previously. The narrator explained that visual effects in film are all based off the techniques first refined by the Renaissance painters. This idea that knowledge in art has been discovered previously and is all just being recycled somewhat blew my mind. It was hard to imagine a time before people understood the concept of receding space and perspective. There was, however, a time, it was pre-Renaissance. The thought that they mentally did not comprehend how to recreate life-like renderings of space astonishes me. I took for granted that the information was simply handed to me in my drawing classes as a basic format to any and every realistic drawing. It is amazing that artists actually had to formulate these theories of depicting space. I always considered them common sense (which is mostly the case these days) but at one time no one even understood the concepts.

Ways of Seeing, Episode 1: Psychological Aspects

With the poor resolution and black-and-white feed, the video was a bit difficult to fully understand. But the general idea from it was made me ponder a bit on the concept of what a photo is and what it meant/still means. I’ve grown up with the existence of cameras. From the film cameras to more advanced digital cameras, they have been part of my life since I was born. I’ve never thought about the impact the invention of photography had on the art world. Even broken down more simply, how much of an impact photography would have on the entire concept of an image itself. Take the concept of traditional art, like a painting. Prior to photography, these paintings were made for a very specific location and audience. However, with the invention of photography, these things became reproducible and universal. The narrator explained that fine art was now being photographed and placed completely out of context (the internet verses a museum) which influenced the direction of interpretation. The context that one views an image is also critical to the meaning the viewer gathers from the image. The impact varies dramatically if you display the picture in a moving close-up, sweeping across it in detail as if telling a narrative, or if you put music with it. Music subconsciously influences our mood and which also determines our reaction to an image.

Errol Morris on Photography

Errol Morris begins by stating that, a fact that most people overlook or forget, is that photographs are not simply a cultural icon, but a connection to the physical world. When you look at a photo it’s not about what you think you see or what you believe about the photograph it’s a true investigation into the world in which the photograph was taken. This video brought up a series of questions, like “What makes an honest photograph?” and “How should a photograph be taken?” The film stated that a photograph is neither true nor false. They are simply a focused representation of a single instance. Though, the narrator did say that one must always consider the “elephant standing outside the picture frame.” Meaning that a photograph is a selective viewpoint, with a specific edge and the viewer must think about what was excluded as well. The viewer should also consider what events happened before and after the captured moment. I really liked this video because it made me think of photography beyond the physical photo taken.