Photography and Western Cultural Practices|Literature
Abstract
Use of photographs and photography has been o great importance in the world for a number of years now dating back to many centuries now. This has been even made of more great importance through the various advancements that have been made in the world of photography over years.
With new inventions every day, advances in technology of photography and photographs that have high clarity and are modern photographs as well as reduction of aspects like exposure time as time goes by all are but progresses made in the photography and photographs world. Photography has all along made people feel that close connection with other fellow people who geographically are far from them amongst many other importance of photos.
This paper takes a look at the cultural uses of photography in the western society in the 20th and 21th centuries, starting with some background information on photography over time, literature review on the topic and the main discussion points of the topic, that is, the cultural sues of photographs and photography in western society.
Background information
Photography got to different countries in different periods and its evolution and development has been in different times in different parts of the world or countries, especially in the western society. For instance photography got into U.S in around 1839, by one Jacques Mande who was really impressed by nature and even inscribed her personal image on a sensitive silver plated copper sheet. Various scientists got her idea and got really impressed and amazed about it. They decided to adopt it, study it and advance it further. They did embrace the idea warmly and hastily got to advance and make improvements on the idea indeed. The various aspects that were improved later that pertained to the idea included like the reduction in exposure time in photography. This enabled the cameras to take photos of human subjects and not that of moving objects. Actually between 1838 and 1850s, the existing forms of photography for instance in America were of portrays and they didn’t make use of negatives and each different portrait simply was an image with its distinct uniqueness. Wright, T. (2016).
The technology in photography has undergone evolution in the world in such a faster manner more especially in the nineteenth century and every advance that was made allowed the work of photography to have diverse uses compared to the limited uses photography had before. Right from unique imagery, use of much cheaper metal plates etc, all made it possible to evolve photography technology. Wright, T. (2016).
As photography became more advanced and appealing, the more it got attached to the people particularly in the periods of the 18th, 19th, 20th and the present century. With time people found even many more uses and importance of photographs and photography especially pertaining to their culture and practices of people became stronger and more meaningful.
With progression of time there was increased use of “wet plate”, negative process around 1856 gave the photographers a technique to make negatives and then they could get to have many positive prints as they could wish. This is an aspect that brought more profits to the photographers and with the motivation they could make a number of many more photographs, but it is worth noting that the “wet plate negative process” was still very slow and tiresome hence making the photographers to make the glass plates sensitive just before exposure. This went on till the “dry plate technology” in the 1880s. Wells, L. (Ed.). (2015).
Particularly in 1888 taking of photographs gained true and more popularity with the invention of Kodak camera. Many people really loved its operation, its picture quality, exposure time and many other aspects that the camera had which were much better compared to the predecessor cameras. Over time photographs have been popular and photography has taken root and has become very popular in the western society with many uses of photographs and photography as a whole becoming even more. Wells, L. (Ed.). (2015).
Literature review
Robert Tillerson in his work “photographs and photography” published in 2013,” he notes that a photograph is not simply a picture that is interesting to see and complement a given story, but also is a means that is used in the western society countries to incorporate truths, realities and cultural value system to a given people.
In another work, “Photography and Western World” by Anne Rollins, published in 2015, the author writes that The various traditional photographs have been used in the various cultures in the western states and people usually have a lot of trust in them and they have a number of uses that range from iconography and representation of the important personnel in the society. Some photos are used to have that connection to those far away, used as reminders of people not alive though they are special to us and even used in various teachings of cultural beliefs and values in the western society. Elsewhere, some are just for fun without any specific uses attached to such photographs and instead are used in leisure times and fun making with the various photographs used to remind us of such glorious happy in future times.
Elsewhere in Valshakmir Juni, in his work “What Photography Means for Western Society” he begins his work by agreeing to the fact that photography holds a vital part in the society especially in the western society. He points out examples of western society nations like America and United Kingdom that have had cultures that have many aspects concerning photography and photographs. The author particularly talks about the various western society cultural uses of photographs and photography that range from educational purposes, social- family purposes, remembrance purposes and cultural maintenance purposes.
Discussion
Indeed there are a number of cultural uses of photographs and photography in the western society world. Though this is not the same in all the western societies with some having slight variations in uses, though some cultural uses of photographs are more similar in many different sets of cultures. First and foremost is the social and family use of photographs. For a number of years now in the society as part of cultural systems of the people, many take and keep photographs which give them that connection to some people that they value or love yet are far from them. With the photographs at their homes they can be at a position to feel like they are near those whose images are in the photos they have despite the fact that they could be miles away from them. This helps to keep the bond and love between people despite their distance. Larsen, J., & Sandbye, M. (2014).
Cultural teachings and imparting of cultural values from generation to generation is another aspect where photographs play a big role. This is by use of photos that do hold certain cultural value significance also having many beliefs that are associated with them. Various photos are used in teachings of various cultural aspects that have passed from generation to generation over a number of decades in the western society nations. For instance photographs with images of well disciplined and upright people are used as complementary mechanisms of teaching some cultural values in western nations. They get to create the visual impression amongst those being taught and they easily get to comprehend what they are being taught at least to some extent making the ones being taught at least to get a visual idea of how people with good cultural morals look like and how they even will be required to look like. Larsen, J., & Sandbye, M. (2014).
Another cultural aspect use of photographs in the western society for a number of years now, especially in the 21st century is divinity and divine uses. This has been common especially in the places of worship with different people with different cultural beliefs and divine practices making use of different portraits and images that are of people or beings that they believe have or had extraordinary powers or divine powers or whom they consider as being holy and that they play a big role in their divine life. Ogborn, M., Blunt, A., & Pinder, D. (2014).
The photographs and photography are used to maintain the various cultural heritages of different people in the western society. Different people are associated with different cultural heritages and practices in the western society and this is maintained over the generations by use of photographs and images of various practices done in various places are taken and kept and are passed over to many generations and this is deemed and understood as a cultural practice that is well retained in society. Shifman, L. (2014).
Family relationships are indisputably one of the strongest bonds that exist between people in a society. We feel the real happiness with our family members be it father, mother or even cousins. Is usually feels indisputably heartbreaking and emotionally disturbed when one such a loved one dies. One of the things that have been used over time in the western society as the only way to comfort ourselves and even feel like the departed ones are still with us is by having their photos which were taken when they still were alive. Indeed the photographs and photography do play a great role in the societies especially the western society and their cultural practices. . Shifman, L. (2014).
Other uses are like fun activities which basically involves taking of photographs which later act as reminders of good memories and fun moments that people get to experience. For instance the various parties that one gets to attend as well as the picnics that we go. This being in line with the cultural practices of the western world societies who are characterized with typical cultural practices of fun loving for instance, the western world people really love to party and have fun especially when off work, and that is no doubt indeed. Wells, L. (Ed.). (2015).
Photographs have for a longtime now also been used in the western society nations as a means of communicating the expressions and emotions of people. This comes about as a result of physical distance by people for instance between lovers or family members. In cases that people are away from each other for a long time, they get to miss each other a lot and its atypical cultures of western society people to send each other photos which helps a great deal to relieve the emotions of people for instance the missing of another person so much. Wells, L. (Ed.). (2015).
Elsewhere the various photographs get to display the various cultural practices and various cultural heritages of different people in the western society. This provides room for comparison of such cultural practices that could lead to adoption of better cultural practices of a gin type of people that would help to build a rich heritage and cultural set of practices that can benefit a society very much. Banta, M., Hinsley, C. M., & Joan Kathryn, O. D. (2017).
Not to forget that that other cultural use of photography and photographs is simply the selling of the cultural heritage and values to the outside world. This is done by taking of photos of the various cultural aspects of the western society nations that are typical to the various particular places in the western world. This in turn when is shared to the outside world that is, is posted and viewed by other people around the world it even acts as a tourist attraction mechanism indeed. Banta, M., Hinsley, C. M., & Joan Kathryn, O. D. (2017).
References
1. Wright, T. (2016). The photography handbook. Routledge.
2. Banta, M., Hinsley, C. M., & Joan Kathryn, O. D. (2017). From site to sight: Anthropology, photography, and the power of imagery. Peabody Museum Press.
3. Wells, L. (Ed.). (2015). Photography: a critical introduction. Routledge.
4. Larsen, J., & Sandbye, M. (2014). The (im) mobile life of digital photographs: the case of tourist photography. Digital Snaps: The New Face of Photography, 25-46.
5. Ogborn, M., Blunt, A., & Pinder, D. (2014). Cultural geography in practice. Routledge.
6. Kádár, B. (2014). Measuring tourist activities in cities using geotagged photography. Tourism Geographies, 16(1), 88-104.
7. Shifman, L. (2014). The cultural logic of photo-based meme genres. Journal of Visual Culture, 13(3), 340-358.
