Assignment 2- Review
Name: Eliza Purves
I declare that in submitting all work for this assessment I have read, understood and agree to the content and expectations of the assessment declaration – https://www.rmit.edu.au/students/support-and-facilities/student-support/equitable-learning-services
Blog reflections
Week 5 – Analogue Photography
Week 6 – Analogue Video
Week 7 – Networked Photography
Week 8 – Networked Video
Review
(Word Count: 1087)
Provide a definition for ‘analogue photography’.
Analogue photography is when an image is recorded as light passes through the shutter and interacts with the chemicals found within a roll of film. This then needs to be properly developed in a lab to produce a clear image. The early form of media is typically published and distributed as a print image, although it is possible to transfer the negatives into digital.
Provide a definition for ‘analogue video’.
Analogue video is a recording method involving an influx of light through a video lens towards a photosensitive surface, allowing the light to bounce back and form into a continuously moving signal. These signals are then transmitted across to form a connection with a display device allowing for the images to be broadcasted.
Provide a definition for ‘networked photography’.
Networked photography is a form of digital media that involves the taking, uploading, and sharing of digital images onto the network. This process is instantaneous within all stages and allows for the mass viewing and sharing of images between any user or platform revolving in the network.
Provide a definition for ‘networked video’.
Networked video is digital media that functions within a digital device, involving a stream of instantaneous video frames that formulate a seamless, moving image. This is transferred as digital data across the network, allowing for the uploading and sharing of digital video files between different users and platforms.
Provide definitions for the terms ‘authoring’, ‘publishing’ and ‘distributing’.
Authoring:
Authoring can be described as the creation of photo and video content. The process should involve a combination of creative direction, shooting, reviewing, editing and integrating multiple media formats to create a final piece.
Publishing:
Publishing is the process of preparing media to be shared with an audience. This can involve the printing, uploading, naming, captioning and final polishing of content, before it is viewed publicly.
Distributing:
Distributing involves the public sharing of a form of media towards a wide and reachable audience. Distributing tactics for media content can include, being uploading onto the network, viewed at an art gallery and included in a magazine as well as having the public share it through their own use and platforms.
What differences and similarities did you discover between the way analogue and networked photos are authored, published and distributed?
Authored: As digital devices grow more advanced, they have been built to hold similar photography features to those on an analogue camera, allowing anyone to produce professional images (Kamila & Zylinska, 2016). The iPhone 11 camera app now has the functionality for lens changes, shutter speed, zoom equivalent to a 35mm film lens, night mode and aperture, all increasing the photographic experience (Mayo, 2019). Networked photos are also able to exceed the capabilities of analogue through photo editing. With networked images, editing is almost a rite of passage. Professional software like Photoshop Lightroom and Affinity Photo, and amateur apps like Facetune and Faceapp, allow for any networked image to become manufactured. This is especially seen on Instagram where pressure is put on creators to develop an aesthetic or an ‘Instagram face’ (Jennings, 2019). This is spun in a negative light when physical discrepancies occur to appear more desirable or exclusive to a mass audience.
Published: Networked photos have vastly changed the time it takes to prepare a photograph for distribution. A user can instantly snap an image on their device and have it ready to be stored, uploaded or distributed within the click of a button. The process is practically instantaneous, also adding the fact that many platforms such as Instagram allow you to capture photographs within the platform and directly upload them. Analogue photos are less streamlined as a process. To develop an analogue image, the photographer has to have access to several technical elements including a darkroom, chemical developers, developing tank, correct temperatures and fixers (Leibovitz, 2019). With this, they also need to have the knowledge and experience to develop the images in the correct way to gain an optimal result. Any small break in the process can hinder the outcome, therefore the technicality exceeds that of clicking a button on a smartphone.
Distributed: Technical advancements have allowed media distribution tactics to be multidimensional for both analogue and networked images. Typically, analogue photos are distributed solely by print, however, developments have made it possible for these photos to be transferred into digital and negotiate the distribution tactics of networked photos. This is done through a digital image converter which processes an analogue signal, a two-dimensional light function, and converts it to a digital signal made of pixels (Benchpartner, 2019). It should be noted that these photos still need to endure the development process, therefore unlike networked photos, they can’t be distributed right away even though they now function in the digital world.
What differences and similarities did you discover between the way analogue and networked videos are authored, published and distributed?
Authored: Although, networked and analogue video still rely on the same foundation principles of video production, including the relationship of light and shutter speed to form an image; one difference that stands out is the surrounding technical elements. Analogue video heavily relies on the relationship of tangible technologies to be produced, such as cables, circuits, ariels, monitors and power, which causes it to remain fixed as a whole entity (Lister et al, 2009). In retrospect, networked videos function quite intangibly by relying on data, devices and the network. This allows networked videos to have greater freedom when being authored, making it possible for anyone to become a creator on a networked platform such as Instagram.
Published: The publishing of analogue and networked videos varies greatly in their accessibility of production to the masses. Everyday people aren’t able to film analogue videos due to the cost and level of materials required, with this format typically being held by major media corporations. With networked videos, anyone can become a producer without these prior restrictions and is also open to the professional development contained within this. This can be seen by a lot of independent creators like Ashley, from my week 8 blog, who grew to social media fame by originally and still frequently shooting content by herself with the functions on her iPhone.
Distributed: Both analogue and networked videos have different ways and amounts of people they can reach and engage with. As long as you have a digital device, you can easily engage with networked video. The ability of apps like Instagram where an everyday person can film, edit, caption, save, upload and widely share media has made the process of distributing video production more streamlined, thus allowing more people to become exposed to the endless supply of content. Analogue video is constricted to television monitors, and what is being broadcasted at that specific time or channel. There is no freedom of the viewer to branch out from the set schedule or explore other content. For analogue, the distributing process is hindered at this point with no further two-way communication or sharing from the viewer.
References
Benchpartner, 2019, ‘How to convert analog image into digital image’, Benchpartner, viewed April 29 2020, < https://benchpartner.com/how-to-convert-analog-image-into-digital-image/>
Jennings, R 2019, ‘Facetune and the internets endless pursuit of physical perfection’, Vox.com, viewed April 27 2020, < https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/7/16/20689832/instagram-photo-editing-app-facetune>
Kamila K & Zylinska J, editors. Photomediations: A Reader. Open Humanities Press, 2016, viewed 2 February 2018, <http://www.openhumanitiespress.org/books/ titles/photomediations/> (pp.7-16 Photomediations: An Introduction by Joanna Zylinkska).
Leibovitz, A 2019, ‘Complete guide to film photography’, Masterclass.com, viewed April 27 2020, < https://www.masterclass.com/articles/complete-guide-to-film-photography#how-does-film-photography-work>
Lister, M et al 2009, New Media: A Critical Introduction. Routledge, New York. (Section: 1.2.1 Digital pp. 16-21)
Mayo, B 2019, ‘How to use the new iPhone 11 camera app’, 9to5 Mac, viewed 27 April 2020, < https://9to5mac.com/2019/09/20/iphone-11-camera-app/>