Name: Shaun Rimes s3530111

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

Making Media blog links

Week 9 – Instagram photo
Week 9 – Instagram video
Week 10 – Instagram photo
Week 10 – Instagram video
Week 11 – Instagram photo
Week 11 – Instagram video

This report responds directly to the course prompt:

How do the affordances of Instagram affect the way photos and videos are authored, published and distributed in the network?

Introduction :

Instagram is a platform which allows users to author, publish and distribute content with relative ease. The process of engaging with Instagram is impacted by the hardware on which it is used, for example the phone or device. The affordances of the platform are subject to the users access to, and proficiency with additional software. Further, the prolific nature of technology within our culture makes Instagram a commonly used platform to share the experience of the user through a visual medium. Instagram is a visual platform with affordances primarily focused on visual media like images and videos. This paper will focus on the cultural implications of Instagram as a platform and will discuss how the affordances of instagram are contextualised by, and perpetuate a cultural attitude which lionises individualism, branding and ultimately capitalism.

Background:

Affordances are an object’s properties which communicate to the user how the object is intended to be interacted with and further, the purpose of the object itself (Norman, 1998). The nature of affordances both encourages and constrains users in the way that they interact with the platform. Instagram has a range of affordances which encourage the user to interact with the platform with a particular mindset. The content primarily published and distributed on Instagram is imagery. Captions can be added to imagery however this is not Instagram’s primary modality. The visual nature of content uploaded to instagram has given rise to a cultural phenomenon of “peak Instagram aesthetic” (Leaver et al, 2020) and of Instagram influencers who both market products and become commodities themselves, often kickstarting careers in modelling or acting by gaining popularity using the affordances Instagram offers for the distribution of content. This kind of commodification and branding, advertising potential and capacity for marketing to reach such divers audience has both cultural and economic implications for both individuals and for society more broadly.

Evidence:

‘Good design is hard to notice’ (Norman 1998) and I found this to be particularly true so I decided to focus on designs where the design itself clearly defines its intended purpose and draw a comparison to those that are not. I chose to engage with the design of objects in space in order to produce content which I believe has self evident artistic and aesthetic value. The content which I produced and published lacks an obvious popular cultural context and I was less enthusiastic about the affordances which facilitate distribution. I had not engaged with Instagram before this assignment and I couldn’t be less interested in influencer culture because personally I think its a little gauche and distasteful. Affordances like hashtags and geo-tags etc are designed to distribute content and engage other users however I felt far more interested in the more production focused affordances like the camera. I found the affordances limiting for the purpose of publishing media. The square form format constrains the user to a particular aesthetic of camera work and leaves the creative element of producing content to the manipulation of the environment itself. This speaks to the phenomenon of the Instagram aesthetic and Leaver et al postulates that the cultural impact of instagram has had a material impact on the physical design of spaces in order to optimise the peak instagram aesthetic.

Evaluation:

Authoring – the affordances provided by instagram relating to authoring and editing images and video are fairly basic. The in-app camera allows users to produce and distribute images however the capacity to edit images is limited. They give users some scope for creative potential however that scope is limited.  This encourages the user to manipulate the environment in order to create the aesthetic they are looking to cultivate and distribute. This is ultimately a product based approach rather than a themed based approach to content which speaks to the mindset and culture which is propagated by Instagram as a platform. Media platforms are a product of the culture in which they arise but they also influence the culture itself and this is particularly evident with Instagram.

Publishing – The simplicity of publishing content on social media has arguably redefined the nature of social interaction and community engagement itself. (Lister et al, 2009) Instagram specifically produces very image focused content and this raises questions about manufactured authenticity. The intersection between developing social capital by manufacturing a brand or aesthetic and the methods which one uses to author and publish content is where the conflicts between reality and what is being presented as reality is most pronounced. The immediacy and simplicity of taking and uploading a photo gives the impression to users that content is authentic, captured in the moment. (Palmer, 2014) The reality however is that most content is heavily manufactured.  There are services available which allow people to create totally fabricated content to distribute on instagram, for example extravagant private jets which never take off that influencers use like sets to take selfies.

Distribution – The affordances of instagram have been heavily influenced by capitalist and market logic. They encourage and perpetuate a neoliberal and individualist mindset which contextualises the human being as a brand and allows users to turn social capital into financial capital. The nature of cross marketing combined with affordances that allow users to distribute the images which they create and publish is ultimately informed by the desire to develop social capital (Hinton & Hjorth, 2013). A platforms affordances speak to an expectation of a user’s capacity and technical limitations (Gaver, 1991). The instagram culture allows models and influencer’s to monetise this social capital using sponsorship by taking photos of products and posing them to the platform.

Conclusion:

Instagram as platform has changed the way the average person engages with visual media. It has a particular focus on the manufacturing of authenticity and the affordances of instagram encourage the use of market logic to cultivate an aesthetic and connect and distribute content using a demographic or marketed style of distribution. While Instagram arguably encourages creativity and allows people to connect along lines of interests and values, the development of social capital and the potential to monetise based on the content which is distributed has implications for our culture as a whole. Instagram culture has impacted the way we understand aesthetic and has implications for the very design of material objects in order to optimise it’s marketability on Instagram.

References:

Gaver, B 1991, Technology Affordances, Proceeding CHI ’91 Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp 79-84.

Hinton, S & Hjorth L 2013, Understanding Social Media. Sage Publications, London, UK, pp. 1-31.

Leaver, T., Highfield, T., Abidin, C., 2020. Instagram: Visual Social Media Cultures. Digital Media and Society, Polity Press, Cambridge, UK, pp. 1-38

Lister, M et al 2009, New Media: A Critical Introduction. Routledge, New York, USA, pp. 16-21

Norman, D 1998, The design of everyday things , Basic Book, New York, USA, Preface vii-xv; Chapter one pp 1-13; Chapter four 81-87; 177-186.

Palmer, D 2014, Mobile Media Photography, in The Routledge Companion to Mobile Media, (eds) Goggin G., Hjorth L., Routledge, New York, USA, pp. 249–255.

1. How did you author (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?

This photo of a microwave is an example of bad design, the functions are complex and are rarely used to the full extent of the designers intent, more often than not they are just used to quickly heat or defrost items, I myself tend to only use mine for this purpose when there are a multitude of other setting including a convection oven setting which I have no idea how to use.

I shot this photo using the rear camera of my iPhone 7 using the Instagram app to capture it. I used my hands to position the camera and was lit with warm overhead lighting and two cool tone fluorescent work lights to add reflections on the aluminium surface, because of the additional light sources I used there was no need for me to use the inbuilt flash. I believe the square frame format was a bit of a hindrance in this instance as in order to fit the microwave in shot it forced my to capture unnecessary cabinetry that houses it above and below, being able to shoot in landscape would have rectified this. I made a number of alteration during the editing process before publishing, I first applied the filter Reyes which seemed to soften the light, there was also a reflection of me taking the photo in the glass so to remove this I lowered the brightness, Raised the contrast, raised the warmth, slightly raised the saturation and reduced the shadow level. I also applied a tilt shift which slightly blurred the top and bottom sections of the photo reinforcing the focus on microwave and not the cabinetry surrounding it.

This time round I really experimented with the different manipulation options available within the Instagram app. undoubtedly using a professional camera and editing software such as photoshop is going to produce better results, however I really do think now that the capabilities within the Instagram app are on par with what my iPhone can do, aside from the frame format.

1. How did you publish (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?

I took about 4 shots before I was satisfied and the reason for this is because I was holding the phone in my hand and wanted to ensure that I got the lines of the cabinetry as evenly spaced with the frame as possible. I decided not to geo-tag this post and I made that decision simply due to the fact that in all my previous posts I had done so and want to experiment and just see what it would be like without it, I did however incorporate a caption describing the image which had a number of hashtags embedded into it.

1. How did you distribute (the photo or video) you published on Instagram to other social media services?

During the process of publishing I again as I have done previously linked this post to both Twitter and Tumbler and I was able to do this by activating the switches next to the corresponding accounts. I would have really liked to have had one of these linked to Facebook however I believe there is a more technical issue impeding me from being able to do this at this stage.

1. How did you author (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?

I chose to video this Rubik’s Cube as an example of a good design because its functions exactly as it was intended to do. It is a puzzle that is not easy to solve and has been able to baffle people for decades which is directly in line with what the designers intent was.

To capture this video I used my iPhone 7 however I did not use the inbuilt record function of the Instagram app, the reason for this is that I needed to have both my hands free in order to interact with the object and this would not have been possible had I recorded it within the app as it requires the button to be held down constantly while recording, so I recorded it using my phones record function and then uploaded that video. Additionally I had my phone mounted on a selfie stick that doubles as a tripod in order to give it stability. The square format worked well for this video as it framed the object well and allowed enough space for me to interact with it. I did not utilise the inbuilt flash though the object was lit from above using LED lighting strips and edited by applying the Lo-Fi filter which seemed to make the colours stand out just that little bit more.

As I’ve stated previously apart from the filters and the ability to cut the footage which I did not do in this instance, Instagram does not have any other options for editing or manipulating video footage, you have a great deal more options available to you within the iPhone but I chose not to alter the footage until i got within the Instagram app.

1. How did you publish (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?

I had a bit of difficulty positioning the tripod in the correct spot and positioning of my hands in order to not cast unnecessary shadows and I took 3 takes before I completely happy. This post was geo-tagged with the location where it was shot and includes a caption describing the object and have a number of hashtags within it.

1. How did you distribute (the photo or video) you published on Instagram to other social media services?

I was again not able to link this post to Facebook however it is linked to both Twitter and Tumbler and this was done by activating the switches next to the corresponding accounts.

1. How did you author (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?

This photo is a prime example of a bad design. Remote controls since their invention have caused users frustration and confusion, they rely on a level of assumed knowledge by the consumer and can be incredibly difficult to navigate if you don’t have that knowledge.

The photo was taken using the camera on my iPhone 7 whilst holding it in my hand, it was a fairly straightforward shot and was able to capture what I intended on my first attempt. Im of two minds when it comes to efficacy of the square format in relation to this photo, if I was able to use a vertical landscape format I could have gone in closer on the remote and shown more detail however on the other hand I don’t particularly think you need more detail and the way the square format frames it draws the audience’s eye in. I did not use the built in flash however the remote was lit from above using LED lighting strips and during the publishing process I applied the Juno filter which gave it a bit of warmth and a slight amount of vignetting further drawing the focus into the centre, additionally I altered the structure and saturation slightly to highlight the details of the photo more.

Whilst authoring this photo I was able to investigate further the different functions and manipulation options within Instagram, whilst it is no Photoshop I did see a lot of tools that I previously weren’t aware were available which has swayed my previous position somewhat. It still doesn’t have quite as many options as the iPhone has but the ones that are missing I don’t feel are of great importance, the square frame format though I still feel is very limiting.

1. How did you publish (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?

As I stated previously this was a fairly straightforward shot that required very little preparation and I achieved the desired result on the first attempt. as I have done with all of the previous posts I geo-tagged where it was taken and wrote a description of what was contained in the image and added several hashtags that relate to the image.

1. How did you distribute (the photo or video) you published on Instagram to other social media services?

This is an area that I seem to have the greatest difficulty with. Like my previous video post I attempted to link it to Facebook however for some reason it won’t allow me, it doesn’t come up with an error message or anything even remotely like that it simply will not come up as an option even when I switch the toggle to authorise the link with Facebook, therefore, as I have done previously this Instagram post has also been linked and distributed to Twitter and Tumbler.

1. How did you author (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?

The video I have shown here is of a candle being lit. I chose this design as it is incredibly simple as well as as self explanatory and the design itself has been utilised and rather unchanged for thousands of years.

The video was taken using the rear camera of my iPhone 7, I propped the phone up in a static position on my kitchen bench and held down the record button as the function within the Instagram app whilst I lit the the wick. For the most part I found this to work well however I believe that if I had have recorded the video externally either via another device or using the phones video recording functions it would have allowed me further flexibility with the recording. The square frame format worked very well for this object because of its size and the function I was capturing it fill a good amount of space within the frame drawing the audiences attention to the relevant details. I used minimal lighting within the room and what lighting I did have was set to a warm setting, this was done so that the audience was able to interpret and recognise the object in question before the action of lighting it and then once lit the tones would remain similar, additionally there was no flash used when authoring this video.

Furthermore, I applied the Mayfair filter which gave the footage an additional layer of warmth and I altered the duration of the clip by cutting a segment from the end of the clip in order to tidy up the footage.

1. How did you publish (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?

This shot was rather easy to execute, I briefly thought about how I was going to do it and was able to capture the footage I intended on the first attempt. I geo-tagged the location where the footage was taken and a caption describing the video. I tried to find where I could set the video yo play automatically but could not see how to alter this therefore the video is configured to play once it has been clicked on same as my previous one.

1. How did you distribute (the photo or video) you published on Instagram to other social media services?

This video was uploaded to Instagram and during the posting process I opted to have it linked and distributed to Twitter and Tumbler as well. Interestingly I wanted to actually have it linked to Facebook and Tumbler due to previous experience Twitter not actually showing the visual content only the text, however when I attempted to do this it would not link my Facebook account for some reason and was only left with the options of Tumbler and Twitter. This is something that I will definitely be looking further into to see how I can rectify this moving forward.

1. How did you author (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?

This video is of some branches with red leaves (I couldn’t find any flowers) being placed into a mid 1970’s Italian glass vase. I chose this due to the simplistic nature of its design and how self explanatory the design itself is. The function is obvious and there is only one possible way to carry out that function.

To capture this video I used the rear camera of my iPhone 7, I held the camera in one hand while I placed the branches in with the other. I found this rather frustrating, it was my original intent to have the phone standing stationary using a small tripod however I was not aware of Instagram’s requirement to hold down the record button continuously to capture the shot, due to that I had to rethink my approach. I rather liked the square frame format for this video and was able to create some interesting angles and shapes within the frame. It was shot with a white tiled background and I placed a square piece of travertine marble underneath the vase to give the video some extra dimensions. I did not use the cameras built in flash for this video instead I utilised the over bench lighting that was there, additionally I applied the Amaro filter to the footage, this made the purple in the vase and the red of the leave slightly more vibrant and added a very slight amount of vignetting. I did not cut or alter the duration of the clip and allowed the audio to remain, I did chose a particular frame which should serve as the cover image as I felt that it looked more appealing stirring with the foliage in  the vase.

Comparing this process within Instagram to other video processors, Again I found this to be quite restrictive. when capturing video using my iPhone there are many more options for manipulation, additionally when I need to take higher quality or more cinematic footage I use my Sony mirrorless system which has a multitude of setting allowing me to customise my shot accordingly.

1. How did you publish (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?

Before I came up with my final product I had a few trail and errors but the subject remained the same. I experimented with different angles, lighting and position as well as various ways in which the camera was positioned. I geo-tagged the location where the footage was taken and a caption describing the video. The video is configured to play once it has been clicked on, the only reason for this is simply because I wasn’t aware that there was another option however it is something I will explore for my next video potentially.

1. How did you distribute (the photo or video) you published on Instagram to other social media services?

While going through the process of uploading this video to Instagram I opted to have it linked and distributed to Twitter and Tumbler as well, I did this by selecting which social media sites I wished to distribute it too via a list that Instagram offers when publishing and activating the corresponding switches to the ones that I desired. They appeared on both accounts however a point to note is that only the associated caption was made visible on Twitter and not the video whereas Tumbler published both the footage and caption. This was done to extend the reach of the post and increase its exposure to the intended audience.

Additionally, I included several hash tags within the caption, these were selected by their association to the vase and serve to facilitate further intertextuality between pages of common themes and concepts.

1. How did you author (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?

This photo is of a vintage receiver built in the 1960’s. I chose it as an example of its complex design, it has various switches and turn dials that perform certain functions however it is not obviously understood how it works. This may well be due to the age of the device and at the time of its release those functions may have been common knowledge, however by the way it is designed it is not self explanatory and a person would not be able to understand its functionality without prior knowledge.

I captured the image using the rear facing camera of an Apple iPhone 7, and used a chair as a stability platform with which to take the image from. I found the square format that Instagram offers a little frustrating. due to the shape of the receiver I would have preferred to take the image in a landscape format in keeping with the overall shape. I did not use the cameras built in flash however I positioned two vertical cool light work lamps on either side facing the receiver, additionally I applied the Valencia filter to the image, this accentuated the midtones and washed out the highlight and shadows giving the image a somewhat more vintage appearance.

Comparing this process within Instagram to other photography processors, I found this to be quite restrictive. most of the time I use my iPhone for photography and there are many more options for manipulation, additionally when I need to take higher quality images I use my Sony mirrorless system which has a multitude of setting allowing me to customise my shot accordingly.

1. How did you publish (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?

I took a number of pictures trying out different distances, angles and lighting options before settling on my final image, it was important for me that the receiver be illuminated quite significantly allowing the detail to be seen, additionally I wanted it to be aligned symmetrically so the front of the device features predominantly. I geo-tagged the location where it was taken and a caption describing the image. In the caption I included several hash tags linking associated pages of interest to the post.

1. How did you distribute (the photo or video) you published on Instagram to other social media services?

While going through the process of uploading this image to Instagram I opted to have it linked and distributed to Twitter and Tumbler as well, I did this by selecting which social media sites I wished to distribute it too via a list that Instagram offers when publishing and activating the corresponding switches to the ones that I desired. They appeared on both accounts however a point to note is that only the associated caption was made visible on Twitter and not the photo where as Tumbler published both the image and caption. This was done to extend the reach of the post and increase its exposure to the intended audience.

Additionally as stated previously I included several hash tags within the caption, these were selected by their association to the receiver and serve to facilitate further intertextuality between pages of common themes and concepts .

Assignment 2 – Review
Name: Shaun Rimes s3530111

 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)

Word count: 1089 words

1. Provide a definition for ‘analogue photography’.

Analogue is the term used to define the process with which physical properties can be copied and stored onto another physical form (Lister 2009), and in the case of photography, there are a number of physical, mechanical and chemical stages that occur before a photograph is produced.

When a camera captures an image, the shutter opens briefly allowing light in and exposes a film strip to that image. Furthermore, it is magnified through the lens and this exposure burns an imprint of it into the film. That film is then developed into a negative which is projected onto light-sensitive paper and bathed in various chemicals in order to create the photograph (Leibovitz, A 2019).

As this process is very time consuming and requires a photographer to have numerous rolls of film on hand when shooting, artist like Henri Cartier Bresson have tended to be very specific with the images they capture, waiting for just the right moment when something unique happens.

2. Provide a definition for ‘analogue video’.

Analogue video, much like photography uses light in order to capture a physical image and then recreate that same image in a duplicate physical form however in this instance it’s the recreation of moving images (Lister et al. 2009). The process for capturing and displaying analogue video involves a video camera scanning an electron beam onto phosphor and its intensity is determined by the amount of light focused on it by the lens. That beam is then transmitted to either a recording device which records voltage changes of the electron beam onto tape or a display device which converts the voltage back into an electron beam and directs it to another phosphorus surface that the image is recreated on and can then be viewed (Norman 2014). An example of this process can be seen in the works of Num June Paik. His “TV Buddha” for example shows a video camera capturing an image of a wooden buddha using this system and then transmitting a copy on a display monitor.

3. Provide a definition for ‘networked photography’.

Photography has evolved considerably in numerous areas the most notable however would have to be the proliferation of digital camera technology integrated with mobile phones. There are certainly more formal digital cameras out there that physically resemble their analogue predecessors but the introduction of cameras into mobile phones was a catalyst for a cultural phenomenon where everyday people began documenting their own lives unlike ever before and are now the default camera of choice for consumers (Palmer 2014).

A digital image is made up of a grid of pixels, those pixels are allocated with a number which represents the colour and shade of each of them. The image is stored either within a device’s memory or on a removable memory card. Furthermore, it can be electronically transferred from one electronic device to another as a data package via a network. In this digital form the image can be modified in innumerable ways and the author can copy, display, print their work as desired (Cummins 2008).

4. Provide a definition for ‘networked video’.

Networked video is a digital recording of a moving image captured for the purpose of distribution on online network platforms. This form of documentation began in the early 2000 long before YouTube’s launch in 2005 and since that time has proliferated throughout society and become an integral part of the cultural zeitgeist (Berry 2018).

The production of the digital video is much the same as digital photography including the capacity for unlimited variability and manipulation however in this case it is dealing with moving images rather than still (Spielmann 2007). There are some limitations with networked video dependant on which particular site you use to distribute it, for instance Instagram has restrictions on the time limit of videos posted on their service.

5. Provide definitions for the terms ‘authoring’, ‘publishing’ and ‘distributing’.

Authoring refers to how the different forms of media are created. This includes but is not limited to, the creative process, the type of equipment used and elements of the mise en scéne.

Publishing and distribution are the processes that facilitate the particular media creation to reach its intended audience. The medium that is used for this depends on the media form and the artists intent, for example, a photographer can choose to have his work appear on an online network, within a magazine publication, as part of an art exhibit or all of the above.

6. What differences and similarities did you discover between the way analogue and networked photos are authored, published and distributed?

The differences between the way analogue and digital photos are authored, published and distributed are numerous. The process to author analogue photographs is quite complex involving chemicals and requires a level of education to understand the process, furthermore there is a time delay with analogue as photographers cannot be certain of what image they captured until they have processed the film, where as digital cameras afford the author the ability to instantly view their work via display screens (Price & Wells 2015). Before the internet photographs publication and distribution options were limited to that of a physical form such as magazines and art galleries, however once the internet came to be it opened up a multitude of new options for which authors could connect to audiences with their work, additionally with the introduction of camera phones authorship became capable to do so on the move and “are capable not only of recording and displaying images but also instantly sharing them” (Palmer 2014).

Similarities between the way analogue and digital are authored are mise en scéne and the creative forethought that goes into the construction of a shot. Furthermore, light remains to be an integral part of both forms as part of the shot itself and an essential element of both technologies. With regards to publication and distribution mediums such as book and magazine are still widely used by photographers to reach their intended audience as well as displaying their collections as part of art exhibits.

7. What differences and similarities did you discover between the way analogue and networked videos are authored, published and distributed?

The differences between authoring analogue and digital video most obviously is the different types of equipment and technology used to capture the video, additionally with regards to the editing process analogue requires the entire physical object to be altered which is a long drawn out process where as digital remains in a permanent state of flux until its final distribution point allowing innumerable possibilities for fast and easy editing and manipulation (Lister et al. 2009). Publishing and distribution before the digital space was restricted to art galleries, theatres and analogue home entertainment technologies whereas networked video has dissolved the limitations of accessibility due to the nature that it exists on a network rather than having a physical location.

The similarities for authoring these two types of video is that they both still require a physical video camera to capture the footage and light remains to be an essential element for both forms. Commonalities also exist in the way that creators target specific audiences and distribute according to that intent.

References:

Berry, T.B 2018, ‘Videoblogging Before Youtube’, Institute of Network Cultures, Theory on Demand, viewed 3^rd May 2020, http://networkcultures.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Videoblogging-Before-YouTube-web.pdf

Cummins, J 2008, ‘Digital versus Analogue Photography: A Comparative Analysis’, Master Thesis, Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland.

Leibovitz, A 2019, Complete Guide to Film Photography: How to Develop Film and Film vs. Digital Photography, Masterclass, viewed 1^st May 2020, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/complete-guide-to-film-photography#how-does-film-photography-work

Lister, M, Dovey, J, Giddings, S, Grant, I & Kelly, K 2009, New Media: A Critical Introduction, Routledge, New York, pp. 16-21.

Norman, T 2014, Integrated Security Systems Design: Electronics Elements (Detailed Discussion), 2^nd edn, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK.

Palmer, D 2014, ‘Mobile Media Photography’, The Routledge Companion to Mobile Media, Routledge, New York, US.

Price, D & Wells, L 2015, Photography: A Critical Introduction, 5th ed, Routledge, New York, pp. 9-27.

Spielmann, Y 2007, Video: The Reflexive Medium, MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, pp 1-6.

Mike Corey

Who is the practitioner (what is their name?) and when were they practicing?

Mike Corey is a Canadian born Marine Biologist graduate that turned film maker that is known for seeking out the bizarre and extreme sides of travel (Fearless And Far n.d.). After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Canada, Corey backpacked around the world volunteering as a research assistant for various scientists studying ocean conservation (BBC 2020). During that time Corey always had a camera with him which afforded him the opportunity to capture unique content that he won several international travel video competitions for and launched his career into travel filmmaking (Fearless And Far n.d.). Corey has been traveling the world for the past 9 years documenting some of the most unique and obscure cultures and destinations creating content for his YouTube channel and as a presenter on the BBC Travel Show (Hoffman 2019).

What is the title of the photo or video you have chosen to analyse (can you provide a link?)  

The title of the video piece I have chosen to do my analysis on is “Sunken Warships of Coron”

https://www.instagram.com/tv/BkSfQgulfDN/?hl=en

With the photo or video, you are examining when was it produced (date)?

This video was produced on the 21^st June 2018.

How was the photo or video authored?

The video uses a combination of natural light shinning through various corroded sections of the sunken warships and handheld flashlights.

There is no specific information as to what equipment Corey used for this particular video however the camera he has stated he uses mostly is the Sony A7s due to its low light performance. The lens he tends to use most of the time and what he considers his work horse is a Zeiss 16-35mm F4 zoom lens as the range affords him the ability to shoot a variety of different scenes one of which being hand held facing himself which features quite a bit in this video (Mike Corey 2017).

Additionally, because the video was filmed underwater he would have used a camera housing in order to protect the equipment from damage.

The raw video footage would have been saved onto an SD card within the camera then imported into an editing program in order to cut the footage together, add effects such as the title screen and a soundtrack.

How was the photo or video published and distributed?

This video was published on Corey’s Instagram page “Fearless & Far” as part of his IGTV feed. IGTV works in conjunction with Instagram and is designed for mobile optimized viewing of long-form videos (DMI n.d.). This allows the user to post videos that are longer than the constraints of Instagram normally allow.

The video serves as somewhat of a preview for a longer video piece entitled “SCUBA DIVING Coron Palawan Philippines | WRECK diving w/ Exploring with Cody” published on his YouTube channel also named “Fearless & Far” where most of his video content is published and distributed.

References:

BBC 2020, World News – The Travel Show, viewed 30^th April 2020, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/5HH2VXCksbThj137SndDzWD/mike-corey

DMI n.d., DMI Daily Digest – What is IGTV Video and How Can Brands Use It, Digital Marketing Institute, viewed 30^th April 2020, https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/en-au/blog/what-is-igtv-video-and-how-can-brands-use-it

Fearless And Far n.d., About Mike Corey, viewed 30^th April 2020, https://fearlessandfar.com/about-me

Hoffman, D 2019, Celebrity Travel Addict: TV Host Mike Corey of Fearless & Far and the BBC Travel Show, David’s Been Here, viewed 30^th April 2020, https://davidsbeenhere.com/2019/06/18/celebrity-travel-addicts-mike-corey-of-fearless-far/

Mike Corey 2017, Most Efficient Travel Camera Set-up For Video/What’s in my Backpack, YouTube, 25^thNovember, Fearless & Far, viewed 30^th April 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi8RS6APR4g

Mike Corey 2018, SCUBA DIVING Coron Palawan Philippines / WRECK diving w/ Exploring with Cody, YouTube, 6^th December, Fearless & Far, viewed 30^th April 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVa1bOwyprA

Chris Burkard

Who is the practitioner (what is their name?) and when were they practicing? 

Chris Burkard is a self-taught photographer, film maker, adventurer and social media influencer that has travelled to the furthest reaches of the planet to capture images and stories that ask people to question their relationship with nature while promoting and advocating for the preservation of wild environments everywhere (Burkard Studios 2017).

Burkard started shooting photos in 2004 at the age of 19 and continues operating in the field today. During that time Burkard has won several awards for his work and was listed in the Forbes top 10 social influences in 2017 (People Pill n.d).

What is the title of the photo or video you have chosen to analyse (can you provide a link?) 

There is no specific title for this image however it was taken in the West Fjords region of north-western Iceland as part of a trip for SURFER Mag (Burkard Studios 2017).

https://www.instagram.com/p/B80K2SSl3qW/

With the photo or video, you are examining when was it produced (date)?

This photograph was produced in 2016 in conjunction with a film Burkard was producing called “Under an Arctic Sky”.

How was the photo or video authored?

The shot uses the rule of three in its construction. In the foreground it shows waves breaking on the shore with a man surfing and the middle ground shows the edge of an icy mountain formation. The far ground displays the Aurora Borealis however due to its powerful presence within the shot it holds space in both the middle and far ground. Aside from the natural elements displayed Burkard used a flood light to artificially light up the backside of the wave in order to elevate the shot (Haddad 2017).

Burkard captured this image with a Sony Mirrorless A7SII due to its low light sensitivity mounted on a Peak Designs Travel Tripod and has stated that he shot between ISO 3200 – 40,000 for this particular shoot. It was saved as a digital copy on an SD card within the camera.

There is no recorded information stating what particular lens was used for this image however these are the particular lens’ that Burkard uses for night shooting with this model of camera, “Sigma 20mm f1.4 w/ Adapter and a 35mm f1.4” (Burkard Studios 2017).

How was the photo or video published and distributed? 

 In 2006 Burkard begun interning for various surf magazines during which he learned the workings of the editorial publication process and began to have his own work published (Chhabra 2017).

This particular work has appeared in various different forms and on a number of platforms. It was produced in 2016 in conjunction with the film “Under an Arctic Sky” and can be seen as part of the final sequence. It can be seen in digital form on Burkard’s studio portfolio as well as in various articles about him and it has appeared in Burkard’s Instagram feed on three separate occasions as well as other social media sites of his such as Twitter. It features as a print as part of a collection in the photo book “Under an Arctic Sky” and can be purchased as a print through his website though he does not produce the reproduction prints himself, he has various staff working for him that conduct that on his behalf. These physical reproductions are printed from digital copies using laser printing methods. Finally it can be seen on display in his gallery at Pismo Beach, California.

References:

Burkard, C 2020, chrisburkard – Instagram,viewed 22^nd April 2020, https://www.instagram.com/chrisburkard/

Burkard Studios 2017, About – Chris Burkard, viewed 22^nd April 2020, https://www.chrisburkard.com/Pages/About

Burkard Studios 2017, Adventure Stills – Chris Burkard, viewed 22^nd April 2020, https://www.chrisburkard.com/Stills/Adventure/i-KfBrZ6S/A

Burkard Studios 2017, Frequently Asked Questions – Chris Burkard, viewed 22^nd April 2020, https://www.chrisburkard.com/About/FAQ

Chhabra, E 2017, How Chris Burkard Built A Creative Company Based On His Photography, Forbes, viewed 22^nd April 2020, https://www.forbes.com/sites/eshachhabra/2017/06/23/how-chris-burkard-built-a-creative-company-based-on-his-photography/#49b50c2a35d0

Haddad, S 2017, Chris Burkard’s Best Photographs / My Life In Pictures, Mpora, viewed 22^nd April 2020, https://mpora.com/travel-photography/chris-burkards-best-photographs-life-pictures/

People Pill n.d, Chris Burkard – American Photographer, viewed 22^nd April 2020, https://peoplepill.com/people/chris-burkard/