ForumTo get us thinking about tastes in photography, and perhaps visual culture more broadly, post whatever aspect of photography you can’t stand, and would like to banish to George Orwell’s ‘Room 101’ in the discussion forum. It might be a certain technique you find grating or overused, or a clichéd subject you could gladly live without seeing an example of ever again. Include an example and try to explain why you would like it in Room 101. My Response: I would like to place 'The Selfie' in 'Room 101' due to the way they are used on social media to introduce perceptions of self-indulgence and attention seeking. This is often connected to narcissists who will be active on social media platforms to allow them to engage in exhibitionistic, attention-seeking, and self-promoting behaviours. It is said the first-ever 'selfie' was taken by Robert Cornelius, an American pioneer in photography, in the year 1839. He produced a daguerreotype of himself which became up as one of the first self-portraits of a person. (Getty Images) One of the first images to replicate what we know today as a 'Selfie' was possibly this group of photographers - Uncle Joe Byron, Pirie MacDonald, Colonel Marceau, Pop Core, and Ben Falk. They posed together for a photograph on the roof of Marceau's Studio, while Joseph Byron holds one side of the camera with his right hand and Ben Falk holds the other side with his left hand. (MCNY) The first time the term 'Selfie' was used was In September of 2002 by an Australian man named “Hopey” who posted a photo of his busted lip on an image-hosting website. He then went to a message board and wrote “Um, drunk at a mates 21st, I tripped ofer [sic] and landed lip first (with front teeth coming a very close second) on a set of steps. I had a hole about 1cm long right through my bottom lip. And sorry about the focus, it was a selfie.” (ABC News, 2002) Since starting her YouTube channel in 2017, Emma Chamberlain has become something of an online sensation. Despite being just 17-years-old, she now has 14.5 million followers on Instagram. This particular 'selfie', posted on July 22nd has had over 2 million likes, despite the image having no text or title to put it into context and not even being in focus. The selfie is definitely one of the most prominent cultural phenomena of the 21st century. It has turned Emma Chamberlain into an 'Internet personality' who now makes millions of dollars through sponsor deals, partnerships and personal business ventures, but 'social influencers' such as Emma are putting pressure to live a supposedly 'perfect' lifestyle on the younger generation which in turn is leading to more young people having mental health problems as they strive to increase followers or gain 'likes' on social media. Audiences and Institiutions: ReflectionReflection guidance
· How has your own practice been shaped, manipulated perhaps, by the makers of the technology you employ and/or the spaces in which you share your work? I do like to share selected images I have taken through Instagram, but due to the square format that Instagram was originally derived for I have taken to putting my own images onto a square canvas to present them so that I can easily keep them in their original landscape or portrait dimensions. I also tend to edit differently to make Instagram images ‘stand out’ more, by increasing sharpness, contrast etc and going for a slightly HDR look. · What institutions do you wish to engage with to further your photography? How / Will your skillset and practice need to develop in order to be accepted within that institution? I am an Associate member of the Royal Photographic Society and would be interested in producing a body of work after I have completed my MA to try and achieve a fellowship which is their highest level of distinction. This requires a distinctive and cohesive body of work or project accompanied by a written Statement of Intent. I believe the skills I am learning on my MA course will put me in a good position to be able to aim at achieving this. · If you do not consider yourself to be a ‘professional’ photographer, what do you think you need to do or achieve for this? If that is not something you desire or aspire to, how would you like to be referred to, and how will you achieve that? There seem to be many definitions of a ‘Professional’ photographer. Some believe it is if you make 50% of your income from photography, but others say it is if you have had work published or exhibited and are recognised by your peers as a photographer. I think photography is such a broad subject that both of these are true. You could well be making money from photography, but have never had work published or exhibited, and likewise you could be recognised as a photographer but not have made a penny from it. For me, photography is very personal, and I would like to retain my own control over what I do and am not as interested in a commercial application for my work. As such I would be happy just to refer to myself as a photographer, without the term ‘professional’ attached.
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