Instagram: Do It Right, or Don't Do It At All

To the makers of this image, I applaud you wholehearted and thank you so freaking much:

(source)

Unpopular opinion: Instagram is atrocious.

Trust me, as soon as I got my first smart phone, and was looking at the app collection, I too was attracted to this "photography" app that had a collection of filters that could make my images look all vintage-y. Our society is OBSESSED with it, and it's gotten out of control. 

Yeah, you could make the point that since I am mostly a digital photographer, I would hate for my medium to become obsolete and replaced with phones. But that's never going to happen. But what is actually happening is that our culture (mainly girls, but I've seen plenty of guys as well) are now just so attracted to the cutesy, the fake-shutter sounding click, the weird-ass color combinations that exist, and the fact that everyone is using the same what? 10-12 filters? 

It's not original. And even if you have a good eye for photography, slapping a yellowish-pink tint to it isn't going to make it any more accepted in the art world. I hope to be struck down dead if someday when I'm interviewing young artists for jobs that their porfolios contain instagram shots.

I'm not saying that people can't make great art with phones. There are already photo shows up across the county displaying just that, and they're GORGEOUS. But Instagram is just ruining the beauty and mystery of photography. If you got oddly-color shots, it's because you had a light leak, or it was probably Polaroid film -- something that is nearly obsolete these days unless you buy them for 500% their cost at Urban Outfitters. 

I guess I'm just saying this: THINK before the next time you take a picture of your cup at Starbucks, your feet as you watch TV, or YOUR FREAKING COMPUTER SCREEN. Think of how stupid you're looking.

And for all you Instagram lovers: COME AT ME, BRO.

Inspiration Thursday #8: Nan Goldin

Nan Goldin did her undergrad at my school, so her name is constantly being tossed around in my classes. Her most famous work depicts the counter culture of New York City she adapted into after she graduated.

Whether "scripted" or not, Goldin's photos show the average viewer something they're not used to seeing. I guess, for me, the best way to describe her work is real. All of her photos look as if she was in the right place at the right time.

(Self-portrait, supposedly after she was beaten by a lover.)

What do you think of her work?

Let me know!

Memories vs. Experiences

So right before I came back to school, I was cleaning up all my stuff out of the current guest bedroom, which also happens to be my parents bedroom (they're redoing it, so they temporarily stole my room) and right behind this one hutch, I noticed a number of picture frames.

Now, my parents have been married for over twenty years, and haven't faltered through any of it. They're both amazing human beings, filled with love and care. We might not always see eye-to-eye but they have always provided and have been supportive for my brother and I.

And well, you can only guess what I found.

Covered in what felt like an inch of dust was there wedding photo. One could think, "well they obviously hadn't looked at that in a long time, something must be wrong in that marriage." But rather, I think it shows how much they've been working on other things, that in the 16 years that we've lived in that house, they've never had a spare moment to hang it up. They do so much more for their two children, and love each other more than what that photograph represents.

Here's one of my very few critiques on photography: A photograph may show the past. A photograph may show what was once there, and is now lost. A photograph may withstand it's meaning, or lose it. But a photograph will never be anything close to the actual experience. It can trigger a memory, but you will never be back in that spot ever again. The flash of a moment is gone in ... well, a flash.

We live in a society where our memories are becoming obsolete. Why memorize the parts of the eye when you can just "Wikipedia it?" Why write down important dates when you can just tell your phone to? Why experience a party to it's fullest when you can just look at the pictures the next day on Facebook?

Because you'll never have the memory. We expect computers to be our extra storage our brains can't handle, but just like this picture, it will never be genuine.

When I look at this picture, I have memories of when my dad used to have that goofy mustache, or when my mom used to perm her hair. But I don't have a experience of that day (obviously.) I have my mom and dad now, and always, to remind me that this picture is genuine, and only to them, is it.