Over this past week, we have been asked to consider whether or not photography is a unique medium or if it has conventions it shares with other forms of representation (e.g. painting, film etc.).
I do find that photography is unique and differs from other mediums in some ways, and this quote from Sontag came to mind when considering this question.
‘A photograph is not only an image, it is a trace, something directly stencilled off the real’
-Sontag, On Photography P.154
With the camera, we have the ability to translate a moment of reality, creating an indexical image…it is creating a connection between a certain moment that passed to the present in the most direct way possible. This does make photography a very mechanical process, but I would also say that is shares a lot of common ground with painting, drawing, etc. We are able to read them, view them, and react to them in very similar ways. All three depict a moment, thought, or feeling. We just use different tools to produce the desired outcome.
After reading the Snyder & Allen article, which I found to be intriguing for the most part, I did find that it made me really start thinking about how and why I make photographs. It made me realise that I struggle with producing a constant body of work that is clear and concise because I overthink what I feel others expect from my work, and how it’s going to be viewed by the outside world. This is not necessarily a bad thing as I do need to consider how my work is consumed, but I should not let it restrict the way I work. I think I have been trying to figure that out over the past few months and feel that I have been making progress with letting those expectations go, which have allowed me to be more focused and thoughtful with the direction of my project.