dissertating

My dissertation was entitled :
The Reality of Digital Photography.
Authenticity and the Pervasive Image in
Contemporary Culture.

I discussed the idea of the photographic image , and how digital technology has supposedly given rise to the 'loss of real', - digital images are inherently mutable, and can now be created from completely artificial content and this, some argue, has destroyed our faith in the authenticity of the photograph. I argued against this theory, stating that photography has never been able to show an objective view of reality, as a photograph comes into being as the result of a series of subjective decisions by the photographer- choice of lens, film speed, lighting, camera position, etc etc are all used to effect the way the image comes out. Photo editing software may now make it simple to manipulate images, but these developments are far from revolutionary, photography exists because of manipulation. whether a scene is arranged prior to image capture, or affected in post production traditionally in the darkroom, or digitally on a computer, they all ways to manipulate the final image, and present only the view of the author. Therefore the idea of a photographic 'truth' or authenticity becomes problematic.
I discussed the idea that digital technology has given back an element of control for the author, where previously roll film production, developing and printing were handled my large companies, now the photographer has more control over the whole process.
I suggested that more radical a change to photography with the development of digital technology was how it has changed the way we consume images, with cameras finding their way into ever more portable electronic devices, and personal computing allowing a greater flow of images through the home. The internet provides the means for self publishing and distribution, with staggering number of images uploaded each day. People are presenting themselves online in social network sites with snapshot photography. Images are flooding through our daily lives in larger tides.


What did i learn, other than i should probably leave dissertating to those that are good at it? Well i was stunned at the amount of images being uploaded to various sites. Its impossible to get decent statistics as there are so many places to upload images to, but hundreds of millions each week, increasing at a phenomenal rate. With more and more devices to capture, store and distribute images, the flood tide is sure to swell.


I found it very painful to write this essay, It's not something I'm naturally good at. I find it difficult to get down what I'm thinking about, without sounding like it's written by baboon. I also seem to use commas like vinegar on a bag of chips, sprinkling liberally all over the place until everything is soggy.
Glad it's handed in now though, quite a relief.