Category / Week 10

by joeygan

WEEK TEN: Video #2

How did you author the photo you recorded for upload to Instagram?
This video was taken in my hotel room during my birthday weekend (hence the over-luxurious white robe). The video was shot as POV using the boomerang feature affiliated with the Instagram app. It allows for any video filmed to be played on a constant loop. The sliding door was a lot heavier than expected which made it nearly impossible for me to get a shot that wasn’t shaky since I was trying really hard to slide it with one hand whilst steadying the camera. The affordances of modern day technology and endless storage allows me to reshoot as many times as I like in order to get a shot I’m happy with. This is a stark difference from when photography was just being introduced as present day sees an era where “people having their phones with cameras always with them and at the same time not having to worry about how many shots are left in their camera film cartridge” (Manovich, 2016).

How did you publish the photo you recorded for upload to Instagram?
Similar to all my previous posts, I slapped the ‘Moon’ filter on the video and that was basically all the editing I placed on this particular post. Due to it being a video, I was afforded the ability to choose a cover photo for the post and ensured that it was a shot that was not blurry and easy to decipher that it is in fact a video of a door. I muted the video to keep with the current theme of simplicity; that being a black and white blog with no sounds on any of the videos.

How did you distribute the photo you published on Instagram to other social media services?
Similar to the photo I took for this week, a way in which I expanded my visibility through distribution would be the incorporation of hashtags. I used both #door and #Melbourne in the hopes that more people will find my blog. Additionally, I shared the post on my Tumblr account and utilised the same hashtags to categorise my post.

References

Manovich, Lev. Instagram and the Contemporary Image. University of San Diego, 2016. http://manovich.net/index.php/projects/instagram-and-contemporary-image

 

by joeygan

WEEK TEN: Photo #2

How did you author the photo you recorded for upload to Instagram?
I took this image in the lobby of Crown Towers right before I checked in to celebrate my birthday. I physically positioned myself in front of the entrance door and waited until no one was walking through to get an empty shot. I faced a similar issue I encountered last week where I wasn’t able to accurately align the image as the Instagram camera does not afford grid lines; making it a distinct constraint. In this weeks reading, it was stated that “the majority of Instagram publicly shared images show moments in the “ordinary” lives of hundreds of millions of people using the network globally”(Khoo, 2017). It fascinated me as the term ordinary was highlighted to insinuate that the documentation displayed on Instagram isn’t necessarily a natural portrayal of reality, but is a filtered version. I personally agree, as I am naturally showcasing parts of my life that is seen as exciting and out of the norm, because let us be real, I don’t spend everyday at Crown. 

How did you publish the photo you recorded for upload to Instagram?
To relate back to the theme I’ve decided to go with from the previous week, I utilised the ‘Moon’ filter provided by Instagram. As someone who doesn’t have much experience with editing an image, I tend to get overwhelmed by the manual editing options I’m provided on Instagram so I find that filters help a lot as it provides quick solutions to make my images appear more visually appealing. I’m sure other users can agree on this as “one of the main reasons behind Instagram app very quickly coming to dominate mobile photography was its filters” (Manovich, 2016). I manipulated the tilt of the image to ensure that everything was balanced and was on a straight angle. Again, I used the same format of captions I did in the previous week.

How did you distribute the photo you published on Instagram to other social media services?
To expand distribution possibilities this week, I have decided to incorporate hashtags such as #door and #Melbourne to widen the exposure of the photo to the general public. By categorising them into such hashtags, other blogs from around the world that has a particular interest in such themes might come across my blog and want to communicate. Additionally, I shared the post to Tumblr and utilised their hashtag system with similar tags to categorise my image and hopefully reach an audience who is searching for such posts.

References

Manovich, Lev. Instagram and the Contemporary Image. University of San Diego, 2016. http://manovich.net/index.php/projects/instagram-and-contemporary-image