From CERN to Selfies and Beyond

We have been taking photographs for about 200 years, and in the first hundred years of the technology we produced about a billion photos world-wide.  That may sound like a lot, but by the time I began taking photos in the mid-70's we had ten times that many.

The first image transmitted
over the internet (1992)

Astoundingly, for every single photograph that existed when I picked up a camera in 1970, we now have about 35 thousand images, and a recent estimate I read stated that we have taken around 3.5 trillion pics.  Reading these numbers got me thinking about what we're doing with that explosion in imaging power.

Currently, most of the world’s photos are on Facebook.  If all the images in the US Library of Congress covered a postage stamp, the images on Facebook would cover your living room floor.  And every month Facebook uploads another six billion! 

To return to my question, one thing we're doing with this imaging power is posting “selfies,” or photographic self portraits.  Made popular by MySpace and Facebook, you might have the impression that selfies are a recent phenomenon, but they date back as far as photography itself. 

Typical current selfie.
(Wikipedia)

 

Edwardian woman using
a mirror for a selfie in 1890

Today, typical selfies are poorly-lit self portraits of girls and young women (females seem more smitten with this activity than males) taken in a bathroom mirror.   Ironically, this year a study showed that posting too many Facebook selfies can hurt your real-world relationships: it is NOT an activity that leads to popularity.  

It is apparent, however, that selfies are a permanent and growing feature of the photographic landscape.  What is your opinion of selfies?  Why do people post them?

The Breathing Earth uses graphics to present information powerfully.

To be less cynical, here is a more uplifting way that we are using the power of imaging:  The Breathing Earth is a simulation web site that will show you in real time as people are born and die around the world.  It is one thing to read that many are born in Africa every minute -- it is a much more striking thing to see the sparks of their births on a map.   Even if you just watch it for one minute, you will be fascinated. 

Dean West

Finally, to end on an aesthetically more satisfying note, let me introduce you to the fun and engaging work of Dean West.  A small-town boy who grew up in an Australian mining village, he went on to take a university degree in photography, and at 30 years of age has earned many international awards and is considered one of the most important emerging photographers today.

"20 Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" required hundreds of
images, including many of both live and dead octopuses.

Many of West's works seem to evoke mythology.

His images have been called "hyper-photographic realism," but to me they simply look surreal the way Salvador Dali's work does.  He takes hundreds of photos as raw material and reassembles it in images that have the resonance of mythology.   

His work flow begins with a 60 MegaPixel camera and moves to Photoshop.  Though he has a soft spot for film he says, "Digital photography has made the impossible possible."  

Check out his web site.

Photography Bears Witness

“Photography is a weapon against what’s wrong out
there.  It’s bearing witness to the truth.”   Brent Stirton

In a recent blog I talked about photography as a tool for social justice.

I introduced the work of Lisa Kristine and her efforts to publicize the blossoming of human slavery in the 21^st century.

I’d like to hit this theme again, as it is possibly the most important role of photography in our culture.

Nothing brings home the truth of this more than the work of those brave individuals who bear witness through their photography

For instance, the October 2013 issue of National Geographic points out that the minerals in our electronic devices have bankrolled unspeakable violence in the Congo. 

But it was the black and white photography of Marcus Bleasdale that brought alive the horror of a society torn apart by greed and violence, and gave the term “child soldier” a chilling resonance.  

Take a moment to look at those two images; ponder the faces.

Steve McCurry

Most famous for his “Afghan Girl” cover on the June 1985 National Geographic, Steve McCurry has been responsible for creating many of the most iconic human images in our culture.

You’ll often hear the phrase “the human condition.”  No one chronicles the breadth of that notion better than Steve McCurry.

Intrigued by disappearing cultures, by conflict, and by ancient traditions as well as contemporary culture, McCurry creates images that expand our sense that we participate in a broader world -- one in which there is much room for compassion.  His photography can elevate your spirit.  It can also coax tears.

The tears in this little boy's eyes, the size of the handgun against his little pre-schooler's head, his general look of sorrow and neglect: it would be a stoney-hearted individual who did not feel compassion.  

But do images such as this engage us so deeply they motivate us to act, or are we inured to them, numbed by the simulated violence that saturates television?  

Keeping in mind our theme of social justice, this week’s question is:  If you were offered the opportunity to travel on assignment as a National Geographic photographer where would you choose to go, and why?