My Perspective of Photography: Inspired by Marvin Heiferman

 My Articulation of Photography (by Connor Albaugh) 

    Photography, however simple or complex it can be, can take on my forms and can be created in a multitude of ways. The photo above happens to be from the article by Marvin Heiferman which was taken by Geoff Wong in 2008. It simply shows a girl taking a photo with her flip phone. Although this may seem  outdated in our digital world today, this is still a version of photography, This symbolizes a form of what certain photography can be taken and viewed from. Regardless if it is through a cell phone camera, a Nikon digital camera, or a Walmart camera with film, photography is so easily accessible. The image above is simply a baseline for what photography started out as when technology became available to the public. Interestingly enough, drawings and paintings prior to the technological boom showed what a photo looked like before a camera could show an image of the world or nature just as well. Provided this picture, it serves as a good example as to what the meaning of photography holds and how my interpretation of photography came about. 

    When I read and finished this article, the different takes that Martin Heiferman conveyed through his experiences with photography and its meaning were simply unmatched from my basic understanding of this subject. He mentioned that regardless of what, how, or when a piece of art is derived, specifically a photo or video, they all tell a story. Being that photography was still an underground subject, it was simply up for grabs as for how people would find meaning and take control of certain details or patterns through a simple photo or drawing. I find it fascinating that Martin’s article “Photography Changed Everything” stemmed from a meeting sponsored by Smithsonian. A place where multiple decorated people with different backgrounds all used photography in their own unique fashion. As he describes this in his article, the ability for a photo to have meaning on the basis of someone’s profession or passion just goes to show someone who may be intrigued by the field that personal interpretation rules one’s imagination and pursuance of photography. Even of one is unsure of their destiny or future goals in regards to capturing media for themselves or a class, the field is so open for one to be themselves as photos can directly reflection a person’s likes and dislikes. They may include certain details, but blur out others. One may prefer photographing kids while others may prefer capturing sporting events. Whatever it may be, there will always be a desire to explore and open a new window for what an individual can and will make of their experiences with life. If one happens to get motivated to better themselves and the way one captures certain details, it can be addicting. This is one point that was heavily emphasized in Martin’s article. Pictures have their own way of telling a story and it may not have meaning at the time until there is inspiration to think deeper and more introspective in regards to a situation or certain angle. A slight urge to  persue photography may end up leading to a life-long addiction that one could cure by taking more and more photos. 

    I can personally relate to a lot of these messages and lessons that happened to be outlined in this article. I was never very big into photography or the concept of art through photographs. My character has always revolved around sports and having a passion for athletics. Playing soccer since I was four and having the gift of being an athlete, this opened a lot of opportunities for me to play any sport I wanted and I could be good at it. Not only did this continue, but I found a love for photography in my junior year of high school. I happened to change classes and was put into a yearbook class. My role was to photograph different athletic events and make a page dedicated to that specific sport I photographed. This class introduced me into photography and opened up an obsession I would carry into college. I learned how to use a camera, the different modes it had, and how to capture life with my hands. I remember going out to a park and I took photos of random things like a tennis court and an old basketball hoop. This turned into my obsession with nature, personal portraits of people, and capturing different sequences of athletic matches. I was able to capture the world at different angles and times. One thing Martin talked about was how one could interpret photography through sight. There wasn’t one specific angle one had to take a photo at, as I would take it upon myself to take photos in the view that the normal people wouldn’t pick up on. For example, I took images from the ground up or captured actions through the use of a bird’s eye view. No matter the angle I took photos at or found a way to capture photography, I always saw different aspects of light differently then I normally would have without being creative or unique. Another thing that I applied to my photographic experience happened to be why I took photos. I always thought that through my work, I could find things I liked and they could have an effect emotionally on me. For example, I took a photo of a sunset (image 2) through my dad’s rear view mirror because of how beautiful it was. Now, a sunset can be seen in the sky by simply looking up and snapping a photo. But, the depth of a mirror to show details of the road and the surrounding shrubbery made this look like a painting. The idea of sunsets always makes me happy and symbolizes the idea of a good day as night begins to approach through the movement of time. With something as simple as a photo, I saw a phenomenon through a different angle which made this photo unique. 

    With photography being so diverse and open for exploration, it makes the idea and the field in general so incredibly cultivating. The ability to display a personal interpretation for a certain time in life or for a particular event always excites me and encourages me to continue my love for photography. In the past, I have made my own instagram for the photos I have taken to display my work to my followers. There is no specific subject for what these photos fall under, but they showcase an urge I had to get outside and capture a particular scene, event, or obsession. There is no limit to what one can do with a camera or the use of a smartphone. Technology these days has made it so much easier to capture media and we take pictures and capture different aspects of our lives whether we know it or not. Depending on what photos are taken of and what they convey, they are all different as one who views a photo may see a different meaning from what the original photo taker intended the photo to be. For example, the car shown to drive on a street (image 3) looks to be taking a 360 degree view of a certain town for google earth. However, the photographer of this image may have taken the image to show how the presence of technology today is evolving through the use of transportation. Whether my interpretation or the original photographer meant what I mentioned above, there will always be something different and certain details will pop out to others. This idea is important because it is indicative of how wide and open photography is for interpretation. There may be meaning and there may not be meaning. Photography is what you make it and your experience with it all relies on the time and effort you choose to invest to capture and create. 

    

                                (Image 2)                                                         (Image 3) 

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