This week’s lecture focused on photography and how it found its place in design. An interesting point was whether technologies influence our development or if we develop technology to suit ourselves.

Photography’s origins begins in portraiture. As a much more efficient and effective means to do everything a painter can caused a bit of chaos in the world of painters. Many were at the time were saying that painting was dead from fear that their skills were being made redundant by this new technology. While there was this initial spark of crisis, it gave way to a new form of expression and a new way of looking at the world. It became a revolutionary moment in the painting world.

The lecture also covered Pictorialism; a movement that wanted to take photography into an artistic direction and move it away from the literal direction it was in. Pictorialism strived for aesthetic composition and beauty instead of recording. With inspiration from other art forms like painting and etching pictorialism placed emphasis on the narrative elements of an image.

We then went into modern photography and some influential modern photographers such as Imogen Cunningham. Her work is amazing with a clear and sharp attention to form and shape. There is a firm grasp on everything in the frame.

We looked at the image of the ‘Afghan Girl’ and spoke about its impact – how everyone wanted to know who she was. Why the image is so striking I cannot really say, but perhaps it is the way her eyes have been captured.

Lastly, we covered the significance of visual storytelling in photography. I find storytelling to be a very powerful tool for an artist. They draw people in through their power to take a person from the now to a completely different plane of existence.

I really enjoy the work of Brett Stanley in this regard. There is a very unique playful element in his works that accompany the story that add another level of engagement for the viewer. The water surface acts as a great element in the images when in use with light, creating stunning effects that are almost otherworldly. The use of water in which to shoot the images creates a very different effect and feel in the images as opposed to if it was taken traditionally. I feel there is more of a natural flow of movement that can be obtained. The muscles are more relaxed and not pulled in certain directions with heaps of force or against gravity.

In the images above he did a cosplay photo shoot which I thought was an interesting combination for underwater photography.