Name: Mathew Austin S3839815
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 (practice analysis)
Week 6 – Analogue Video (practice analysis)
Week 7 – Networked Photography (practice analysis)
Week 8 – Networked Video (practice analysis)
Review (915 words)
- Provide a definition for ‘analogue photography’.
Analogue photography refers to the use of a non-electronic recording medium to record an image. The process used in analogue photography involves the use of a lens to focus light onto a sheet of silver crystals, which can then later through a process called ‘development’ be fixed in order to provide an analogue for the light in the original recording situation. One of the most common methods for analogue photography throughout most of history was the use of strips of cellulose coated in light sensitive silver salts, which could then be fixed to create a negative image, with the light and dark parts of the image inverted, allowing for it to be used as a mask to make prints of the image.
- Provide a definition for ‘analogue video’.
Analogue video refers to the use of non-digital electronic technologies to recreate an image. The oldest form of this is television, the use of radio waves to control the drawing of a pattern called a ‘raster’ on a receiving television set. The radio waves could be picked up by a television set and used to control the intensity of an electron gun which could then use electricity to light up phosphors at the front of the screen, thus creating an image. The high bandwidth nature of this broadcast meant that video recording came later, with most technologies (such as Ampex and VHS) using magnetic tape to recreate television signals and allow the screen to draw the picture.
- Provide a definition for ‘networked photography’.
Networked photography refers to the use of the internet as a method for distribution of photographs, as well as the ability for said photographs to connect and ‘network’ with other online media across devices. Given the digital nature of the internet, all photographs are inherently digital themselves, regardless of whether they were originally recorded with analogue means.
- Provide a definition for ‘networked video’.
Networked video refers to the use of the internet as a method for distribution of video content as well as the ability for said video content to connect with other multimedia content among social media on multiple devices.
- Provide definitions for the terms ‘authoring’, ‘publishing’ and ‘distributing’.
Authoring is the process of creating media content, referring to all stages from the initial creation of the product, for example, taking the photo or shooting the video, to the editing and refining processes. The technologies used to author media affect the final result due to varying abilities and affordances.
Publishing is the process of preparing a media product in such a format so as to be suitable for the ultimate goal of wider distribution. In analogue terms this would entail developing and manipulating photographs and getting them in a state ready to be distributed, whereas in contemporary digital and networked settings this often only requires processes such as uploading and creating descriptions.
Distribution refers to how a media product is pushed to a wider audience. This can entail both traditional means such as through print media or exhibition, or contemporary means like through social media platforms and algorithmic distribution.
- What differences and similarities did you discover between the way analogue and networked photos are authored, published and distributed?
The authoring stage remains reasonably similar between analogue and networked photography, with the use of a camera and the adjustment of settings like exposure and shutter speed being universal, however, the lack of necessity for development of digital photos gives a massive advantage in convenience, accessibility and cost in comparison to analogue photos. The difference between the publishing and distribution stages is also much more pronounced in the analogue realm, with networked photography having the convenience of the publishing and distributing being incredibly streamlined, with uploading and pushing to followers being much easier to get into than the ancient hierarchies present in mass media and high art circles. Publishing in the analogue realm required money and distribution required connections, whereas with social media like Instagram, setting up a gallery of edited photos and pushing it to followers and unknowns through the discover tab is essentially all automated. However, the nature of networked photography has a tendency to degrade the notion of ‘photography as art’ (Kamila & Zylinska, 2016, pg. 8), with my week 7 writings looking into the usage of networked photography as a product that links with other multimedia works as a marketing product, a stark contrast to the week 5 work on photography being used as an alternative to painting.
- What differences and similarities did you discover between the way analogue and networked photos are authored, published and distributed?
Networked video, as an inherently digital format, is much less reliant on physical media, being able to be stored and made available on the internet, stored on multiple computers and servers across the world, a far cry from the fleeting electronic signals that defined television broadcasts and easily damaged and degradable magnetic tape. The wide accessibility of smart phones and their advanced affordances in video recording and editing capabilities also makes the publishing process much simpler than on analogue video, where expensive equipment and often connections with production studios or broadcasters was required. The ability for video producers on the network to distribute their own content without oversight from a broadcaster also opens more options for monetisation, making networked video not necessarily more profitable, but easier to profit directly from than analogue video. Networked video is also decentralised, not relying on broadcasters or, in the case of my week 6 case study, galleries or exhibitions. This gives networked video a much broader potential audience, with social media like Instagram being accessible across multiple different platforms. However, both analogue and networked videography have comparable constraints in terms of resolution and aspect ratio, with 625 lines and a 4:3 aspect ratio for analogue video and a 1080×1080 pixel and 1:1 aspect ratio for Instagram uploads potentially hindering creative potential with their rigid confines.
References:
Kuc, K & Zylinska, J 2016, ‘Photomediations: An Introduction’, in K Kuc & J Zylinska (eds.), Photomediations: A Reader, Open Humanities Press, London, pp.7-16.
Instagram. 2020. 柴犬チャーミー On Instagram: “.Massage😁🙌もふもふ～ふわふわ～😆.#柴犬#しばいぬ#犬#愛犬#Pecoいぬ部 #Shiba#Shibainu#Dog#Adorable#Massage”. [online] Available at: <https://www.instagram.com/p/B_ZBdu8HL4Y/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link>.
Instagram. 2020. Simone Bramante On Instagram: “Still Working Everyday On Live Streamings On @Whatitalyis – Speaking With Italians In Italian Only, Thanks For Your Understanding. Today…”. [online] Available at: <https://www.instagram.com/p/B9uLNRVIuGc/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet>.