ED » Discoveries

Footography

admin — Thu, 01 Aug 2013 09:04:31 +0000

A popular alternative to the self-portraits for documenting your own presence is photographing your own feet. We called this footography. The angle of the standard lens in our mobile devices and compact cameras provide us the opportunity to photograph our own feet and still being able to view the result on our screen at the same time. The feet, arms, (a part of) legs and hands are all ends of our bodies that we can photograph while still controlling the frame. Interestingly, feet have a different connotation than hands. The feet refer to contact with the ground and through it we are in physical contact with the location. Or it could be seen as a sign of conquering a new place. Either way, footography provides evidence of the photographer’s presence.

For sell

admin — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 14:40:05 +0000

Perhaps the most functional use of photography today is to sell objects online. With the growing popularity of buying and selling (second-hand) things online, through websites like Marktplaats and eBay, this practical use of photography finds its place in digital photo archives. There is a beauty in this type of photographs, because they are honest and objective like a shopping list. Generally people try to stay away from flash in photography, but they use it very effectively in this kind of photography.

When the objects in the photograph have been sold, the value and meaning of their pictures change. The photographs are all we have left of the object. The reason to keep them could therefore be both sentimental or negligence.

Unidentified

admin — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 14:26:08 +0000

The discovery of unidentified pictures illustrates something curious about the way digital photography is used nowadays in daily life. The current democratic peak of the medium shows itself by the ease with which we can make as many pictures as we want. Instead of being aware of how much more pictures you can take when you use a camera with film, you now can experiment as much as you like, without paying the price. People must be very aware of this advantage because this series of pictures shows how carelessly we can make pictures and keep them nonetheless. Perhaps the memory or moment was more important than being able to distinguish what is on an image. As outsiders we cannot make much of these pictures. They are dark with the occasional play of light that sometimes forms a silhouette. This discovery only proves that sometimes people sometimes don’t even look at the pictures after they have made it. Unidentified pictures are a good example of photographs that we should delete when the lingering of the moment has passed.

2D to 3D

admin — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 18:36:40 +0000

Photography has the extraordinary ability to flatten three-dimensional objects. Everything 3D can become 2D by photographing it. We discovered a series of pictures that show how aware people are of this feature of the medium. People play with the scale of a big object far away and their small hand so close to the camera. The change from 3D to 2D allows us to experiment with point of view, focus, and depth when confronted with a tourist attraction. This playfulness becomes a way to live the moment, as if making the picture is equally important as the end result.

Shadow companion

admin — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 15:43:40 +0000

Our shadow is another presence mark of our self in a location that we can capture through photography. All these shadow photos are made outdoors in places that are probably new to the maker. This person places himself within these new landscapes and uses his own body language to capture the emotion in experiencing the environment. The picture communicates something more than just showing a point of interest. Location can sometimes even seem inferior. The shadows are more abstract and less personal, but still indicate a playful character of the maker. The portrait of your own shadow is an old trick of the trade. When you are alone, without a companion to take your picture, your shadow is always there to capture your self. All of a sudden you are alone, together.

The Finger

admin — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 15:33:03 +0000

We found an impressive amount of images depicting fingers pointing to objects. Not even pointing at something in particular, just its presence inside the frame. The finger, refers to the presence of the photographer. The desire to be a part of the moment and make this visible to others is illustrated in this discovery. Moreover, these images manifest the awareness of the medium and the way photography can transform appearances of reality. Playfulness and simplicity of the approach to taking photographs points out the personal qualities of the photographer that are present in his archive.

Signs of Presence

admin — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 15:31:39 +0000

This discovery elaborates on the questions about the photographer’s presence in a picture. The point of perspective, composition and setting make it clear that the person whose traces we see in the picture also took the picture. We can see how the maker is exploring the medium and testing the possibilities of photography. We can witness the realization of a particular idea of what the picture should look like.

Reversed photography

admin — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 15:09:36 +0000

In the process of analysis we constantly reconstructed the situation in which a picture was taken. We call this practice reversed photography. When comparing two similar images, we can see the reasons why both pictures were taken. A digital camera allows a person to take a picture, look at it on their screen, ﬁnd a better way to photograph the situation and then take another picture. Looking at the images and reconstructing the situation allows us to witness this learning process of photographic qualities such as framing, for example. The pictures illustrate both the enjoyment and ease with which we can learn how to make better photographs faster through the existence of the digital camera and mobile devices.

Sequence and Movement

admin — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 14:50:23 +0000

Due to the development of the medium photography, the action of taking an image became more abstract than it used to be. Taking a picture does not require more than the simple push of a button. The picture is taken and as quickly disappears again in thin air. There is no material or physical consequence to the action. In some situations it seems that taking a picture becomes more important than the photograph it produces. As if taking pictures provides context, reason even, to explore something. It offers an excuse to come closer, to move around. In this case it results in a series of photographs where the movement towards a point of interest is visible. Intrigued by the observed situation, the act of photography is no longer deliberate.

Portrait or Landscape

admin — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 14:01:28 +0000

While we were analyzing the archives, another particular use of photography caught our eye. In order to try and capture a scene right, both a portrait and landscape oriented picture were taken. There was no particular order found of which comes first, but reoccurrence of this phenomenon indicates the awareness of the possibilities a camera presents us. This discovery explores one of the practical technical features of a camera and points out the simultaneous processes of thinking, reacting and taking a photograph. The construction of a camera gives us two orientation options and it results in sets of similar photographs. In general there is no clear preference, but sometimes the attributes of the subject can provide a deciding factor. Groups of people can be better captured horizontally, while high buildings are more suitable for vertical photography.