Change the frame, change the game

This images is one I took in August for my daughter's 3rd birthday, and I feel like I haven't taken many photos since. In the last few months in particular, we have all been so ill with various things and she has had rashes, so none of us are ever aligned and feeling good enough for photos.

Because cameras are so ubiquitous these days, there are literally photos of everything, most of which would never have had a lens turned toward it earlier. Imagine in the film era someone taking 50 photos of themselves to get the perfect angle, and then taking another 20 of their lunch. There is a reason that so many of the pre-digital photos of our past are bad, not just in quality, but also in pose.

Except for the models paid to pose, most of us didn't spend much time thinking about our position in the photo and as a result, it showed. Look back at the albums of your parents and have a laugh, but remember that they didn't spend anywhere near as much time (likely zero) looking at stills of themselves and practicing to find out which is the best angle to present themselves, something pretty much every millenial seems to have invested many hours into. Plus, they have plenty of supporting content to mimic and replicate, and that includes the social profiles of the celebrities paid to do it for a living.

If all of these images were on rolls of film that had to be processed at a cost, there would be far less taken as was the case in the past. But, there is pretty much zero cost to taking images these days and that means that the value of images has been reduced through photo inflation. The concept of an image tells a thousand words is only true when that image gets viewed and considered at depth, and with the flood of images through the feeds, most pass by unregarded with barely a glance. An image tells very little if not viewed.

However, what taking images does do is make a moment more memorable in some way, but only really for the person who takes the image as others do not spend time consuming it. And, with most images we consume being derivative of a million other images similar, they all start to blend in together and again, approach zero in value for the audience. Yet, the photo taker and poster feels special, they feel like they are putting themselves out there on display, something personal - but since most goes unviewed, it is likely just a sense, not the reality.

While everything on the internet is open, the reality is that the vast majority of it will never have an audience at all, other than if an algorithm chooses for it to have some visibility, like Facebook. Facebook curates personal feeds to show what it considers is most relevant to the person, and even though there are millions of potential views, it narrows it down to make it consumable and not overwhelming. The same people, same kinds of content, the same complaints. It makes it familiar and comfortable.

There is also the sense that unless something has a supporting image, it didn't happen and like I said above, this includes lunch. When people travel anywhere it seems, the camera comes out and takes a shot to remember the moment, no matter what it is, no matter how many times that image has been taken before. I see people taking selfies at events but, in the frame there will be no reference to the event at all and likely the only connection will be an Instagram hashtag. Who is that image for?

Very few photos out f the mass are taken for an audience-centric purpose these days with most being a reflection of the self. When a person sees a group shot they are in, they will automatically look for themselves first and if they feel they look okay, they will consider it a good shot without looking at others at all. These days, they find the practice to find the perfect angle and take images of themselves so that, every shot is good - no one else need ever be included.

For me as someone who does like to take photos, I also get the sense that I take some that just don't need to be taken as they serve no purpose and will never likely be viewed by anyone, including myself. I also feel that if I don't get enough images of my daughter doing this or that or even just randomly to track her aging, she is somehow missing out on her life. It is crazy, isn't it?

Having brought up some of these points, I do think it is fantastic that the barrier to entry into photography is so low so that people have a chance to look at their world a little removed, to spend some time seeing what they might otherwise miss. One day it is going to be incredible to see our lives through images brought together through AIs that organize them into views that tell a collective story of the world, an event or, an individual's experience of time.

What I do think everyone should realize though is their viewing habits of images and the way so many of them have no impact whatsoever, especially if there is very little holding the attention past the image itself. However, once there is a story to draw the reader in, they will spend more time and have the chance to build a connection to the image through the words that surround it.

There is an time and effort investment position in this, some game theory perhaps, and it is good to note that what is generally seen as valuable is not ubiquitous or common, it is scarce and meaningful. The meaning comes from context, an emotional anchor to who we are.

You wanted value. Make a wish - But change the frame.

Taraz
[ a Steem original ]