Photography Of The Modern World

In today 's day and age, we are constantly bombarded by images from Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, etc. My point is images are at a point where they are unavoidable, so what is going to happen to photography, or arts of its kind? My guess is just as good as yours, but what I can tell you is that many photographers have stayed on the well worn path for over a century now with little to no change. Sure the technology has advanced, but have the so called "photographers"? Now I am not speaking of all photographers, so please don 't take my opinion as a generalization, but I believe this applies to the majority. Then again, I am just an amateur hobbyist, so what do I know? At the end of this paper you will have formed your own opinion on the subject, but until then, take everything with a grain of salt.

Throughout my paper I will discuss quite a few things about photography in the modern world, the only way I can see this happening is by starting from a fundamental basis, building a strong foundation to support or negate my opinions. According to Merriam Webster (2015), photography is defined as "the art or process of producing images by the action of radiant energy and especially light on a sensitive surface (as film or an optical sensor)". According to this definition, owning a DSLR or a camera with a sensitive optical sensor and using that to take a picture is photography. A tool is just a tool, so obviously this definition is flawed. Photography to me, is an image taken with concept, intent, vision, imagination, and portrayal; all taken into consideration at the time of the photograph, or before. In other words, taking a selfie is not photography; too cliche, lacks intent, vision, and imagination (there is some form of portrayal...

... middle of paper ...

...hese images, yet these images have strong meaning that can be openly interpreted by viewers. To me these images convey just how simple art can be, it also has me question what society has defined as art. Society often defines art as this complex form, and Lucas just defies this, showing how simple art can be. I enjoy the imperfections in his various pieces, they indicate he is human, but what blows my mind is that the imperfections and process in his is intentional, it is the art!

Lucas Blalock is unlike any photographer I have seen or heard of, and his technique and use of CIVIP makes him a true conceptualist. As so called "photographers", we should all strive and keep CIVIP (concept, intent, vision, imagination, and effective portrayal) in mind before or when producing a photograph, only then, can we become innovators of an art that has yet to truly be recognized.