The Progress Blog
This is my Blog dedicated to MA Commercial Photography at AUB, starting September 2017.
Originally I enrolled on this course in September 2015 but had to postpone; These are the Tutorial Record Sheets from that period:
I'm going to study Visual Sociology as a main subject, planning to research and review the situation of more mature people who are still contributing to society and the culture. As one of them, I'm regarded as a participating researcher.
So far, progress has been:
Week 1: September 26: Enrolment; meet and greet staff and other students in my year. The group almost evenly split between full- and part-timers, though not an even gender-split; more damens than herrens. Found a (younger) contemporary in the ex-army photographer Giles who talks the same language as I do; good news. Library induction; found the bogs. Journey is 2 hours and a bit each way; OK at this time of year but not looking forward to there-and-back in the dark later.
Week 2: October 3: Introductions and Inductions. Andy does most of it; he's good news too, different from the bitter and unhelpful techies that I've experienced in other colleges. In fact everybody here seems to be dedicated to provide the best support for the students, with the rider that the student has to think and act for themselves too. Introduction by Prof PWC to the course and its requirements.
Week 3: October 10: More Inductions. Divided into study groups: Group B for me.
Studied 'Photo Theory and Practice Should be Connected'. No discussion on that but hour-long discussion on 'Photomediations; An Introduction' presented by SG.
Associated Questions:
"We are All Photographers Now"; Discuss:
If you capture photographs, you are a photographer; the distinction between professional and amateur photographers existing at the point of delivery i.e. when commissioned/asked/requested/decided. So when a caption within an editorial article says '...then the photographer took over ....', it is without doubt referring to a professional photographer, whereas the originator of a selfie, sent on FB from one person to another, is invariably an amateur.
However, if we indeed are all photographers, then the term 'photographer' is unnecessary because photographic ability is in that case accepted as an inbuilt human function, just as breathing is, or bleeding when cut. In those cases of inbuilt functions, we don't call ourselves 'breathers' or 'bleeders', so why should we refer to our inbuilt function as 'photographers'.
Further, for a concept to exist, it needs practitioners, e.g. if no-one can swim, swimming as a human activity cannot exist. So if there are no 'photographers', photography itself cannot exist as a human activity.
Has The Ontology of photography changed due to low cost storage and networked data?
Photography has changed from being a big fish in a small pond in FoxTalbot's day (only the rich and educated could practice it) to being a small fish in the big pond of visual data conception, production and distribution.
Are Photographs No Longer Singular Objects?
Each photograph is as singular and valuable as it's always been. A photograph is a source of information and acts as a trigger in the human consciousness.
Should Lifes' Record Be Edited?
One edits oneself e.g. by conscience, opportunism et., or one is edited by others, e.g. Harvey Weinstein.
What Are the Pros & Cons of Photography as a Fine Art ........?
Photography can be regarded as a fine art when it is the work of an artist. However, Abstract Photography is not as accepted by the viewing/buying public as readily as Abstract Painting is because is it recognised that for a photograph to exist, there must have been a subject/object in front of the camera, whereas the subject/object of an abstract painting can well exist only in the imagination of the painter.
Is Photography a Middle-Brow Art ..... (Bourdieu).....?
Commercial photography is too big a concept be categorised or to conform to one particular programme. There is some class-consciousness however, demonstrated by the changing appearance of its practitioners.
Photographs are Unstable, Unbounded and Mobile Objects: DISCUSS
Photographs are static, inflexible sources of information.
Photography Changes and in the Process, Changes Itself.
That is the way of all things, especially when influenced by humanity.
Can You Offer a Vision of Photography with a Redically Changed History using the Terms of Mediation?
Compare Ansel Adams with Martin Parr.
What New Routes Might Your Photography Take if You Were to Consider your Images as Mobile, part of a Process of Mediation, Cuts in This Process and/or Vital/Lively Objects?
New routes would go towards new destinations, new audiences, commentaries and comments rather than statements.
Had tutorials with SG and Pauline...
Issued with new study article on Camera Phone factors. Referred to previously-issued article on the Emergence of The Fifth Moment of Photography. To discuss next week.
Other Events:
23 Sept 2017 Full day RPS Seminar in Birmingham; speakers (Street Photography, Architectural, Landscape, High Speed Video, Conservation) included Tim Flach, AOP member and respected animal and conservation photographer.
6 October 2017 Exhibited three I/R Landscape prints in Calne Music & Arts Festival of Photography. Well received.
7 October 2017 Attended RPS morning seminar, Swindon, on How Academics Approach Photography as an Art, delivered by Head of MA Photography Bath Spa University.
THIS IS WHERE IT STARTS. Talked with Sian and Pauline about short sharp mini-projects to start making relevant images; I considered opening with something about Class cos that's a particular interest of mine, though it's a big subject. I mentioned 'Each a Kingdom' my plan to research and image each household in a given row of houses, to find out who they are, what they do, what they think, how do they solve the daily problems we all have. Pauline gave me some leads to similar projects that have been done, like researching peoples' shopping bags and shopping lists. Another similar idea is to make images of people who come into my local chippie, subsequently labelling them as 'cod&chipstwice', 'chickencurry&smallchips'. All needs organisation and the co-operation of others, like the supermarket people or the chippies themselves.
Determined to act as assistant and advisor (when she'll let me) to Susie and hopefully she'll assist me when I need help too.
Monday 16 Oct 2017
Studying "Hey, I'm here Right Now"; Camera phone photographs and mediated presence" : Mikko Villi
(See Plymouth notebook 'Future'; see accompanying article 'Creation and Control in the Photographic Process; iPhones and the emerging Fifth Moment of Photography': Edgar Gomez Cruz & Eric T Meyer; see reprint of article 'What is the Future of Art?' by Serpentine Galleries co-Director Hand Ulrich Obrist, attached; see Homo Deus pp445 by Yuval Noah Harari.
Essential message: this is about talking with photographs rather than talking about photographs.
DATAISM: 'Dataism = biochemical algorithms + electronic algorithms' -- a simple overarching theory that unifies all scientific disciplines (Homo Deus)
All organisms are algorithms;
Previously: Data=Information=Knowledge=Wisdom.
(combination of computer scent & biology)
'Digital Economy: Gathering data about desires & abilities in order to reach decisions'.
Ref: Dataism: 'We often imagine that democracy and the free market won because they were 'good; In truth they won because they improved (and used) the global data-processing system' (Homo Deus; Yuval Noah Harari).
'If life is movement of information and we look upon life as being good, then it follows that we should deepen and broaden the flow of information in the universe' (Homo Deus; Yuval Noah Harari).
** taking the reciprocal of that: 'if we deepen and broaden the flow of information in the universe, file will be improved'
'
Originally I enrolled on this course in September 2015 but had to postpone; These are the Tutorial Record Sheets from that period:
I'm going to study Visual Sociology as a main subject, planning to research and review the situation of more mature people who are still contributing to society and the culture. As one of them, I'm regarded as a participating researcher.
So far, progress has been:
Week 1: September 26: Enrolment; meet and greet staff and other students in my year. The group almost evenly split between full- and part-timers, though not an even gender-split; more damens than herrens. Found a (younger) contemporary in the ex-army photographer Giles who talks the same language as I do; good news. Library induction; found the bogs. Journey is 2 hours and a bit each way; OK at this time of year but not looking forward to there-and-back in the dark later.
Week 2: October 3: Introductions and Inductions. Andy does most of it; he's good news too, different from the bitter and unhelpful techies that I've experienced in other colleges. In fact everybody here seems to be dedicated to provide the best support for the students, with the rider that the student has to think and act for themselves too. Introduction by Prof PWC to the course and its requirements.
Week 3: October 10: More Inductions. Divided into study groups: Group B for me.
Studied 'Photo Theory and Practice Should be Connected'. No discussion on that but hour-long discussion on 'Photomediations; An Introduction' presented by SG.
Associated Questions:
"We are All Photographers Now"; Discuss:
If you capture photographs, you are a photographer; the distinction between professional and amateur photographers existing at the point of delivery i.e. when commissioned/asked/requested/decided. So when a caption within an editorial article says '...then the photographer took over ....', it is without doubt referring to a professional photographer, whereas the originator of a selfie, sent on FB from one person to another, is invariably an amateur.
However, if we indeed are all photographers, then the term 'photographer' is unnecessary because photographic ability is in that case accepted as an inbuilt human function, just as breathing is, or bleeding when cut. In those cases of inbuilt functions, we don't call ourselves 'breathers' or 'bleeders', so why should we refer to our inbuilt function as 'photographers'.
Further, for a concept to exist, it needs practitioners, e.g. if no-one can swim, swimming as a human activity cannot exist. So if there are no 'photographers', photography itself cannot exist as a human activity.
Has The Ontology of photography changed due to low cost storage and networked data?
Photography has changed from being a big fish in a small pond in FoxTalbot's day (only the rich and educated could practice it) to being a small fish in the big pond of visual data conception, production and distribution.
Are Photographs No Longer Singular Objects?
Each photograph is as singular and valuable as it's always been. A photograph is a source of information and acts as a trigger in the human consciousness.
Should Lifes' Record Be Edited?
One edits oneself e.g. by conscience, opportunism et., or one is edited by others, e.g. Harvey Weinstein.
What Are the Pros & Cons of Photography as a Fine Art ........?
Photography can be regarded as a fine art when it is the work of an artist. However, Abstract Photography is not as accepted by the viewing/buying public as readily as Abstract Painting is because is it recognised that for a photograph to exist, there must have been a subject/object in front of the camera, whereas the subject/object of an abstract painting can well exist only in the imagination of the painter.
Is Photography a Middle-Brow Art ..... (Bourdieu).....?
Commercial photography is too big a concept be categorised or to conform to one particular programme. There is some class-consciousness however, demonstrated by the changing appearance of its practitioners.
Photographs are Unstable, Unbounded and Mobile Objects: DISCUSS
Photographs are static, inflexible sources of information.
Photography Changes and in the Process, Changes Itself.
That is the way of all things, especially when influenced by humanity.
Can You Offer a Vision of Photography with a Redically Changed History using the Terms of Mediation?
Compare Ansel Adams with Martin Parr.
What New Routes Might Your Photography Take if You Were to Consider your Images as Mobile, part of a Process of Mediation, Cuts in This Process and/or Vital/Lively Objects?
New routes would go towards new destinations, new audiences, commentaries and comments rather than statements.
Had tutorials with SG and Pauline...
Issued with new study article on Camera Phone factors. Referred to previously-issued article on the Emergence of The Fifth Moment of Photography. To discuss next week.
Other Events:
23 Sept 2017 Full day RPS Seminar in Birmingham; speakers (Street Photography, Architectural, Landscape, High Speed Video, Conservation) included Tim Flach, AOP member and respected animal and conservation photographer.
6 October 2017 Exhibited three I/R Landscape prints in Calne Music & Arts Festival of Photography. Well received.
7 October 2017 Attended RPS morning seminar, Swindon, on How Academics Approach Photography as an Art, delivered by Head of MA Photography Bath Spa University.
THIS IS WHERE IT STARTS. Talked with Sian and Pauline about short sharp mini-projects to start making relevant images; I considered opening with something about Class cos that's a particular interest of mine, though it's a big subject. I mentioned 'Each a Kingdom' my plan to research and image each household in a given row of houses, to find out who they are, what they do, what they think, how do they solve the daily problems we all have. Pauline gave me some leads to similar projects that have been done, like researching peoples' shopping bags and shopping lists. Another similar idea is to make images of people who come into my local chippie, subsequently labelling them as 'cod&chipstwice', 'chickencurry&smallchips'. All needs organisation and the co-operation of others, like the supermarket people or the chippies themselves.
Possible
mini-projects proposals:
* Each A Kingdom
* Right eye/left eye
* Class
* People I’ll never see again
* Places You Don’t Know About
* Brief Encounters
* The Chippie
* The Shopping Baskets
I also plan to complete a short video, started in 2015, to accompany either Major Project 1 or MP2.
* The Chippie
* The Shopping Baskets
I also plan to complete a short video, started in 2015, to accompany either Major Project 1 or MP2.
Determined to act as assistant and advisor (when she'll let me) to Susie and hopefully she'll assist me when I need help too.
Monday 16 Oct 2017
Studying "Hey, I'm here Right Now"; Camera phone photographs and mediated presence" : Mikko Villi
(See Plymouth notebook 'Future'; see accompanying article 'Creation and Control in the Photographic Process; iPhones and the emerging Fifth Moment of Photography': Edgar Gomez Cruz & Eric T Meyer; see reprint of article 'What is the Future of Art?' by Serpentine Galleries co-Director Hand Ulrich Obrist, attached; see Homo Deus pp445 by Yuval Noah Harari.
Essential message: this is about talking with photographs rather than talking about photographs.
DATAISM: 'Dataism = biochemical algorithms + electronic algorithms' -- a simple overarching theory that unifies all scientific disciplines (Homo Deus)
All organisms are algorithms;
Previously: Data=Information=Knowledge=Wisdom.
(combination of computer scent & biology)
'Digital Economy: Gathering data about desires & abilities in order to reach decisions'.
Ref: Dataism: 'We often imagine that democracy and the free market won because they were 'good; In truth they won because they improved (and used) the global data-processing system' (Homo Deus; Yuval Noah Harari).
'If life is movement of information and we look upon life as being good, then it follows that we should deepen and broaden the flow of information in the universe' (Homo Deus; Yuval Noah Harari).
** taking the reciprocal of that: 'if we deepen and broaden the flow of information in the universe, file will be improved'
'
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