Lecture 4 – The Networked Image

-In the last year, more photos were taken than in the whole history of photography. It is interesting to wonder if in the future more photos will be taken in a single day, than in the whole history of photography. 

-More photos are taken by everyday photographers/amateurs (vernacular photography) than professionals. This links with what we explored in the previous lecture on Interactive Documentaries. Just as vernacular photography is increasing due to the increased availability of technology, e.g. camera phones, documentaries made by amateurs have also increased due to technology.

-‘Stocking’ is an act of taking photos that mimic stock photos in a comical way. Whilst the stock photos had been produced by professional photographers, the ‘stocking’ is done by amateurs, and therefore the work done by professionals and amateurs can cross over. Stock photos are regularly used in advertising, and therefore ‘stocking’ can indicate their ineffectiveness.

-A photo itself is all about reproducing – it is a reproduction of a particular subject. It brings up the question of when one takes a photo of a photo, and so forth, does the image loses its authenticity with each replication?

-A network is a group of interconnected people/things, however they did exist before the Internet, e.g. postcards and photos, although more limited.

-Whilst some argue that digital photography was the biggest change to photo networks, others say that broadband connection (internet) has had a more influential impact, due to the ability to share photos.

-Domestic photography has shifted from preserving events to conversational photography e.g. people’s brunch, because the process of sharing has become so much quicker. 

-As Rubenstein said, if a selfie is not shared on social media, it is not a true selfie. I partially agree with this, because I believe people do take selfies to show other people, which is why social media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram are so popular. However, we can’t speak for everyone, and some people may take selfies for their own enjoyment. I personally believe that some people may take more selfies now than ten years ago, merely because of the front camera. Many modern advertising campaigns use selfies to their advantage, e.g. asking people to take a selfie with their brand, of, for example, clothes. 

-There are two types of metadata, firstly information that you find in the file of the image, e.g. shutter speed, and external metadata, which is the likes/comments etc.  Some argue that external metadata can be seen as political as it can control which images are most important.

-When undertaking an activity, the photo taken can be more important than the activity. For example, once someone has uploaded a picture of their meal, eating it is then thought of an after-photo/ echo.

-Charlotte Champion wrote an article called ‘Je Suis La’, meaning ‘Here I Am’, and she argued that photos represent the now. I think this relates to Advertising as adverts are made to showcase products etc that are currently relevant.

-Older images can turn from un-networked to networked as one can put old photos on the internet, e.g. by scanning them.

More links between this lecture and Advertising:

-Brand Instagram accounts can re-post images of people wearing/using their brand. These images were taken by amateurs, however are now used to promote that brand.

-The Apple campaign ‘Shot on Iphone 6’ is an example of how there is more access to photography, even if you are an ametaur, and how advertisers can use this to their advantage: