Chapter 5 - Image, War, Legacy

Ritchin begins this chapter speaking of the power of image and how it can sometimes come back to haunt us. He goes on to give an example of 9/11 that I don’t altogether agree with. Ritchin talks of Arabs being portrayed as “anonymous villains” in the media causing such destruction as kidnappings and the hi-jacked planes of September 11^th. Somehow I think their motives went beyond the media. As chapter 5 progresses, Ritchin gives another interesting example of the power of image with Nixon vs John F. Kennedy. He tells us that before their televised debate, Nixon was actually favored. However, Kennedy’s charms in person on screen won the public over. A quotation by Ray Price was included in this chapter stating that voter approval comes down to a “chemistry between the voter and the image of a candidate.” I feel like that could be easily applied to the most recent election, where Obama seemed to have a much better appearance in the media.

Mosaic Connections

Ritchin opens chapter four with a metaphor behind what John Swarkowski would call the dichotomy of photography, which is when photos fall into either a “mirror” category of self-expression, or a “window” category of images that represent the external world. Ritchin goes on to claim that there is yet a third category that was not yet discovered in Swarkowski’s time and is made possible through the expansion of digital photography. Ritchin calls this third category the “mosaic,” and states that it goes beyond the original dichotomy through multiple pathways and interactive multimedia. With today’s advancements in the digital realm, a cluster of pixels that make up one photo can be linked to a whole set of new medias like music, video, or even more photos. Ritchin argues that this allows for greater interpretation than before, but I kind of feel like it creates an over load of information. I guess I prefer to keep things simple, but I think that as more linked media is added to a piece of a single work, it begins to limit how far the interpretations can reach.

Exercise 4 - Black & White Alterations

Exercise 3 - Black & White

HSL - Saturation & Luminance

Basic

HSL - Black & White

From Zero to One

I really love Ritchin's opening paragraph to this chapter when he describes digital photography as "destabilizing the photograph as a faithful recording of the visible," while at the same time opening up a new spectrum of possibilities. Though I would definitely deem this statement true, I would say there exists some exceptions. It was still very possible to doctor film photographs (though obviously not to the degree and ease which digital allows). However, I think it is that same idea of film being a "faithful" recording that also got many people in trouble (such as photographic hoaxes like fairies and bigfoot). I think Ritchin's statement sums up the chapter very well, as he continues to give examples of digital photography's expanded horizon such as satellite photos taken with google earth or the "spellbinder" approach from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Color Checker Exercise

Project 1 - Natural, Vibrant, & Soft

After Photography Ch 1 & 2

Chapter 1

Ritchin opens chapter one by describing the versatility of the photography and its span across time dating from the mechanical age but also playing a large role in the digital revolution. Computers have helped to open up an entire new world of possibilities in the photography field, but have also changed other medias such as music and text. Photography has evolved from “light writing” using silver and film to an image created from thousands of tiny pixels and stored in data form. However, advancements in time have also made photography less of an art form and delicate process. These days all you have to do is press a button on your phone or web cam and the picture is taken. Ritchin comments that it has become like the common text message or email.

Chapter 2

Ritchin opens chapter two while commenting on the similarity between digital manipulation and changes being made in DNA research and body modification. Ritchin mirrors the two subjects by saying that photography manipulation is preparing us for societal changes. However, I think that looking at all the physical manipulations people do to their own bodies via plastic surgery and dieting mirrors some areas of digital photography manipulation much better. I’ve seen examples of commercial beauty ads of celebrity photos where the images have been digitally enhanced (as Ritchin gives an example of with Mel Gibson) to make the subject more beautiful, which in turn makes the buying public want to achieve the beauty themselves. The problem is, the digitally enhanced versions are often times unachievable. Ritchin gives other examples of how the media has used photo manipulation to sell more of their products. The images Ritchin shows reminded me of a more recent controversy regarding Ralph Lauren clothing ads (here is the link to the add is you are interested: Here)