Chapter 8 - Toward a Hyperphotography

In this chapter Ritchin explores a term he calls “hyperphotography,” which is the ability for digital photography to be linked to other multimedia and provide an interactive experience. Ritchin goes on to talk about the differences between digital and analog photography and the possibilities digital yields by being able to manipulate each single pixel or how easily accessible and instant digital photos are. It was funny that this ended up being the subject of the chapter because today my sister discovered Skype for the first time and was amazed at how far technology had brought us that she could now chat with me when she is over a thousand miles away. Ritchin talks about the video ability that digital photography grants us and Skype is a good example of that. Ritchin also goes on to talk about a day when cameras could be part of our skin and be controlled with brain impulses. This also reminded me of something I learned today about the new Xbox Kinect, which like Skype allows you to video chat but also reads photos of you and inputs the movements into video games. The interesting thing I learned is that apparently the Kinect never actually stops recording you, which makes me think that the digital photo is already becoming a more intrusive part of our lives.