For the past couple of days I've been immersed in writing a lecture about the psychology of imagery.  It is a broad and extensive topic.  

Lewis Hine

 In the lecture I discuss the impact that photography and media have had on social awareness in the past: child-labor reform, the modern civil rights movement; the documentary style and structure of the Farm Securities Administration; war photography (from the censorship of WWI through current day usage and the dangers of "compassion fatigue"); how advertising plays on anxiety and offers palliates; the illusion of perfection in fashion; how paparazzi and the media culture we currently live in affect celebrity, and of course: the digital revolution.

Dorothea Lange

The lecture relies heavily on past examples.  My questions regarding the future of photography are, with the speed in which information is disseminated and images dispersed in this media culture, how, in the upcoming years, will we separate the craftsmen of the industry from the people with cameras? 

Colleges that teach photography are quickly getting rid of film and darkrooms (are there any left?) and the science of light is being replaced by the technology of capture.  Not to say that the technology isn't amazing, but is it enough?  Are students of photography making an image with subject and light, or with a computer?  The lessons learned through printing black and white are, in my mind, invaluable, but they may also be obsolete.

Richard Avedon

Are we creating a generation of 'pro-sumers' that sell images on Flickr to Getty and work for nothing, continually watering down the talent pool in the industry?  A bunch of one hit wonders?  I regard photography as a tool and an art form and have learned an incredible amount from those we refer to as the Masters.  There aren't many left and I'm not sure we are helping any along.  There is a gap in the industry and I only see it growing.

"To photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed. It means putting one’s self into a certain relation to the world that feels like knowledge, and therefore like power."

- Susan Sontag

 

This week of classes has been the best,  I love when I also learn something new and the subject matter I've been teaching is validated.  We are nearing the end of the semester and have had a couple of guest speakers/studio visits.  While nearly impossible to schedule they are so worth it for the students.  Had I been given this kind of information when I was in photography school I would have saved about 6 months of figuring it out on my own.

Last night we had the amazing Jacob Hand come in to class to discuss the protocols of being a photo assistant.  Jacob is an excellent speaker and a wealth of information.  He is also a very capable photographer who has left assisting and struck out on his own, look him up!

Today we visited the venerable Hedrich Blessing studio.  Dave Burk, one of the principle photographers, was kind enough to give the students a tour of their amazing (and HUGE) studio and talk to them about the business side of things. 

It is wonderful for the students to have access to these people while still in school and takes a little pressure off.  Leaving the resources and umbrella of school to begin your career can be quite intimidating but there are tips that more established photographers can give you on how to start out in the industry.  Have a question?  Just ask.