The exponential growth and advancement in technology has accelerated society’s methods of viewing still images. Photographs illuminate the concept of everyday life, which in turn casts light on the significance of consumer goods, domestic comfort, the aspirations of men, women, and children, in short the banality of everyday life which echoed their mentalities and how they viewed the world (Januarius, 2008). We have moved from an age of old table cameras of the 1800’s, to the evolution of the point and shoot cameras developed in the 1970’s, to now digital cameras which eliminated the need for film and takes crystal clear photos that are stored on a memory card. Portraits on paper are virtually becoming a thing of the past. Instead of keeping photos of your family in a wallet or purse, society now carries photos of there loved ones in their phone. Framed still shots are being replaced by digital images that change every few seconds. Technology has paved the way for society to “capture the moment” any place at any time.
As we explore affects or impacts of this technology as it relates to Thornburg’s concept of rhymes of history, the concept of photographs rekindles the ancient carvings of images found in caves or Egyptian pyramids. The idea of documenting history via images is something that society has accomplished for hundreds of years. Technology is only playing a part as it relates to the means in which we recording history via imagery.
References
Januarius, J. (2008). Picturing the Everyday Life of Limburg Miners: Photographs as a Historical Source. International Review of Social History, 53(2), 293-312. doi:10.1017/S0020859008003453
Thornburg, D. (Producer). (nd). Rhymes of History. [Video Podcast]. Laureate Education, Inc.
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Photography is a good example of how technologies continuously evolve to meet the demands of society. The affordability of photography equipment reflects Moore's Law. After reading research on the future of photography, it is clear that we will see a time when specific parts of images link to other images and images are integrated into daily existence for protection and management (Pickert, 2008).
ReplyDeleteDo you consider yourself an amateur or professional photographer? I don't think I am either or, because I do not take that many pictures. However, when I finally find relief from some of my responsibilities, I hope to slow down and make memoirs of my life.
Pickert, K. (2008, December 18). The future of photography. TIME article retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1867320,00.html
You did a great job on your comparison of cave craving and modern digital technology. Today people are walking around with their digital camera and IPhones and taking shoot of images and new events as they happen. This technology has created millions of people who think they are photographers. Pictures and images are snapped and end up on the daily news cast.
ReplyDeleteAndree-
ReplyDeleteThis is a great example of how this technology has changed...as a matter fact one of my Christmas gifts was a key chain that holds digital pictures...A long way from the plastic one I had in high school that was eventually scratched and broken...this shows how photography has really evolved...
The funny thing is I dont take pictures very often. I recently purchased a new camera but I think I have only used it once. I also have an IPhone which has a great camera feaature but again I am not the one to rely on for taking pictures at any event!!
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