fauxtography

In comparison to previous presenters, I was left somewhat confused after Craig’s lecture. I was expecting a background, the importance of photography, what constitutes as photography and why and other general comments. It wasn’t until Ty explained Craig’s nature of information overload that I finally understood his method. He showed a wide variety of different photographs—old and new and even some of his own work. I really enjoyed the work by Tony Mendoza. I loved his flower album because of the colors and angles. I also like the album that featured his dog. As a hobbyist photographer I enjoy and have worked with that low perception of the flowers and I also have many, many photos of my dog. It’s just something that personally resonated with me. I also liked Winston Link’s work. Link focused on photos of trains but it was amazing how different they could all look even though they are essentially all the same thing. What I think I most enjoyed was Craig’s own work. He showed us some of his newest work from his fictional photography album which was awesome. I liked the idea of him taking a relatively boring scene and putting something interesting on it. In particular, there was a picture of an old trailer half in a ditch and he used Photoshop to put an image of a ballerina on it. The trailer was old and rusty but the ballerina image on it reminded me of a traveling circus. It was, as Ty says, “playful.”

Errol Morris’ blog entry “Photography as a Weapon” was news to me. I’m not sure where I was in the world when this controversy exploded but this was the first time I’ve heard of it. The blog talks about logistics like how and why it happened but also delves into the greater abyss of digital manipulation on a grand scale and how and why that happens. They talk about the Loch Ness monster and attribute low resolution photos to the so-called “legitimacy” of the monster. However, with the advent and prevalence of high resolution photography it can become clearer to identify manipulation. The idea of manipulation and mass foolery isn’t new however. The blog made a good point that all the way back to propaganda and forged Hitler papers. John Heartfield, along with several others, created anti-Nazi posters incorporating photos and ironic text to spread the message of the inhumanity the Third Reich was imposing and was trying to illustrate that” we should be suspicious of what we see and what we read — of what we are told.” The second feature artist was Alfredo Jaar who had some solemn pieces among his work. Watching his interview gave me the impression that he was not only a very compassionate, but passionate man. He said when he learned of the horror happening in Rwanda “I have to go. I have to go. So I went,” just like it was that simple and like he knew without a doubt he must do something to expose their situation. Jaar talked about how his imagination starts working after he does research or an event happens, specifically a tragedy. This got me thinking about the creative process and how real-life events are sometimes the most fruitful sources of inspiration. He also mention how he created 26 pieces for Rwanda but none of them worked but he didn’t give up and kept trying. Some things in life may just be too horrific to capture in a single moment. Even though Jaar chronicles some dark places and depressing events, he also realizes the importance of incorporating beauty because that’s also a part of life.

Through all of the material I’ve encountered this week there were a lot of different perspectives, motives and facets that encompassed photography. I love this medium because visual imagery resonates with many people so immensely including myself. We talked about how most people are inclined to accept photos as real and true but after looking at “Photography as a Weapon,” and some of Craig’s “fictional” work I guess we should be more thoughtful about what we believe. Ty was telling us that Craig uses his trials as a learning process and continues to plow through until he gets it right which is also what Alfredo Jaar believed through his attempts to capture the distress in Rwanda. Twenty-six times he tried to get it right and was relentless. Looking at Craig’s photos I get a sense of light-heartedness and fun like the photo with the added in text “astronomy,” “stars,” “planets,” and the picture that said “planetarium.” It was just fun. Although the blog focused primarily on a serious subject matter dealing with missiles and international safety, it also showed some spoofs that people created by doctoring the photo which is also fun. Godzilla was my favorite. Alfredo Jaar’s work was pretty serious because of the magnitude of the tragedies he covered but I think his spirit is fun and light-hearted. His willingness to go spread the news of what’s happening in a sometimes disturbing way in such a way that it makes an impact upon others is beautiful in itself. 

Kat Koury