Vernacular Photography and the Power of Self Imaging
Course Description
Building on the previous section's topic of photography as a tool of freedom and self possession it is important to look at the role of vernacular photography. This “everyday” imagery is often overlooked in histories of photography as a fine art form. This gap ignores the great importance and impact vernacular photographs have on an individual and cultural identity and self discovery. Furthermore, in the current technological era in which the majority of people have access to a camera at all times [on their phone], and as social media often revolves around photographs, the practice of self imaging dignifies an entire book onto itself; but we will start with the resources below.
Read
“In Defense of the Poor Image” by Hito Steyerl
“Closing the Loop” by Aria Dean
“When Is a Photograph Worth a Thousand Words” by Hulleah J. Tsinhnahjinnie
“Into the Album” by Carmen Winant
“Picturing the American Family, From Frederick Douglass to Jamel Shabazz” Deborah Willis in Conversation with Rhea L. Combs
“You Belong Here” by Pilar Tompkins Rivas
Watch
Leigh Raiford “When Home is a Photograph”
Discussion Questions
Define the following terms:
Poor image
What are the consequences of ignoring “low quality” images?
What does Rozsa Farkas imply with “there are hierarchies that are afforded to certain (female) bodies, degrees of agency in one’s self-representation.”? How does this apply to photography?
How can the selfie be used “in ways that refuse, refute, and redirect, saying “NOPE” to dominant ideologies, and “bye” to a basic-bitch politic of visibility”? How can one fall into the trap of attempting to “demolish the gaze”? Can that trap be avoided? How?
What is the power of personal photographs in creating and connecting communities? Specifically communities disconnected from their ancestral culture, lands, and communities?
Relevant Books
Calafato, Ozge Baykan. Making the Modern Turkish Citizen: Vernacular Photography in the Early Republican Era. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2022.
Courses
Photography as a Tool for Freedom and Self Possession
This section instead focuses on how the global majority has used photography for identifying, defining, and documenting their communities.
Consent in an Era of Surveillance and Global Audience
COMING SOON: Commonly these conversations end at the point of legality and consideration of ethics, morality and power dynamics are pushed to the fringes. This section moves these conversations to the center.
Appendix
COMING SOON
Access and Sustainability
COMING SOON
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