What Photography Means to Me


When thinking about what photography means to me, the first word that comes to mind is: Expression. Photography is an outlet that can be used to express emotion, tell a story, provide information, capture a moment, and so much more. What I find most interesting about photography is that one photo can her interpreted differently by each person that views it. In Photography Changes Every thing, author, Marvin Heiferman touches on why photography was made and what makes good photography. In this writing, Heiferman quotes an art historian named Geoffrey Batchen. He said photography, "is a sprawling cultural phenomenon inhabiting virtually every aspect of modern life." To me this means that photography is forever changing and adapting to the culture. Not only does the technology of photography change, but also the use for photography. A portrait photo that was taken 100 years ago is absolutely nothing like the portrait photos today. In addition, Heiferman touches on how photography changes each aspect of life. The most interesting section was called "Photography Changes What We See". Heiferman says that we look for what we anticipate to see and photography completely changes that by showing us what we cannot see. 

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