Assignment 2- Review
Eleanor Holloway s3769461
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 960 Words
Provide a definition for ‘analogue photography’
Analogue photography refers to early photo practices, where every step of production is physical, and all of this information is presented. When light is captured on a film, this is a physical property that is stored in an analogous form. in developing the image and exposing it to paper, the original properties are reconstructed for an audience (Lister, 2009). Analogue photography provides a tangible connection between the photographer and the image taken.
Provide a definition for ‘analogue video’.
Analogue video encompasses the process in which various electronic wave forms, that represent both sound and image, are cast to screens. This process is a fixed form, and involves a small scale of data, consequentially meaning that it is prone to interference. This image produced was first seen as greyscale, with electrons moving along a coil, forming voltage changes to produce the visual. RGB was later introduced, which saw phase and amplitude (being what colour is present and how much of it in that particular moment) interacting to produce a colour image.
Provide a definition for ‘networked photography’.
Networked photography refers to images that are created and exist completely digitally, and are inherently networked by process of sharing to one or more online platforms. Networked photography can easily be subjected to manipulation, whether that be on photo-editing applications or in a sharing platform itself. Networked photography brings authorship into question, whereby it signifies the eradication of ‘the signature’ (Lister, 2009). It is easy for an image to move through users and develop into new images along the way. Networked photography is subject to data compression, for example in Instagram, where an original image’s data can be slowly lost as it is shared via the app.
Provide a definition for ‘networked video’.
Networked video describes the process of moving image capture where this information is converted into numbers. This data is subject to algorithms that make fast and easy uploading possible. networked video exists in a permanent state of flux, having never had a tactile form. It being networked indicates that it is easily seen and shared to an audience. It is easily manipulated, and this can be done in external programs, or within applications themselves, such as Instagram stories or Snapchat filters. One of the most prevalent examples of networked video today belongs to YouTube videos, which in its most current form means some videos are uploaded with sole purpose of being shared.
Provide definitions for the terms ‘authoring’, ‘publishing’ and ‘distributing’.
Authoring describes the process which a creator goes through a certain method of production in order to develop their image or video.
Publishing is the procedure involved in an author presenting their piece to an audience, whether it be physically displayed or posted to an online platform.
Distributing refers to the method of which a photo or video is shared throughout audiences. This includes both word of mouth distribution, commercial distribution (such as an exhibition), and online sharing.
What differences and similarities did you discover between the way analogue and networked photos are authored, published and distributed?
The authoring of images in both networked and analogue forms have been analysed since the inception of both processes. In the early 19th – late 20th century, the professional craft of photography was transformed into a “mass amateur activity” (Halpern & Humphrey, 2016), due to developments at the time that allowed greater accessibility. This mirrors networked photography in the sense that the widespread use of smartphones means that now anyone can become a photographer – there is now a camera in all of our back pockets.
‘Camera clubs’ were formed with the aim was to professionalise the art form, separating it from it’s traditional ritualised purposes.This legitimisation of the practice mirrors iphoneography in networked images, as shown in Halpern and Humphrey’s study. Iphoneographers share the sentiment that one cannot “put a filter on a bad photo” (Halpern & Humphrey, 2016), and the success of the image is reliant on good photography.
Levels of professionalism have developed in networked photography that did not necessarily exist in the analogue form. This is due to the rise of commercialised platforms, where now creators follow certain ‘rules’, including appropriate captions and hashtags. This directly leads to distribution, exceeding analogue photography practices. The link between authoring, publishing, and distributing in analogue photography is seamless compared to analogue photography. The very of nature of the ‘network’ means that images will continue to spread without any interference or encouragement from the author.
What differences and similarities did you discover between the way analogue and networked videos are authored, published and distributed?
Authorship in networked video has become a blurred line; there is a “reading writing continuum” (Levy 1997), meaning that the process is now intertwined with publishing and distribution, and the initial ‘signature’ of an author no longer applies. This is in contrast to analogue video, where the characteristics of recording can be discerned, and there is a material difference in the various processes involved (Spielmann, 2007). For example, editing an analogue video involves physically cutting the tape, whereas networked videos are in a permanent state of flux.
In analogue video, mass circulation methods and cycles in history became obsolete due to the rise of digital video (Lister, 2009). This is not comparable to network video however, where everything exists in a digital space, and content can cycle across platforms independent of the creator’s interference. So as opposed to mass publishing by certain companies in analogue video, networked videos are distributed through users independently. Because of the expanse of the network, this method is going to reach a much larger audience than if distributed in traditional methods. Additionally, the commercialisation and monetisation of these platforms further encourages distribution, as it benefits the author.
References:
Halpern, M Humphrey L 2016, Iphoneography as an emergent art world. New Media and Society, Vol 18, no. 1, pp. 1-20
Lister, M et. al. 2009, New Media: A Critical Introduction. Routledge, New York, pp. 16-21
Spielmann, Y., 2007. Video: The Reflexive Medium. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, pp. 1-6