Mediated reality

If you take your LCD to the aquarium, it will fill with fish.

And if I take my LCD to the mint, will it fill with cash?...and to the grocery for groceries?...and to the sewage treatment plant with?????

Interesting.

I imagine the answer is yes, but I haven't tried the rigorous experiments needed to verify the hypothesis.

I have to admit that on the first round, I didn't give this photo much thought. (Nothing personal, mind you. It's just that I'm not capable of much thought to start with, and knowing what a sly sense of humor you have, I thought you were just having fun.) But I came back to see if you had posted anything new, and it dawned on me that, having fun or not, there was a valid observation here. It made me think of how we sometimes (some of us, anyway) try to make our images different from the reality we saw. How we either make things darker, lighter, more colorful, less colorful, or different in so many ways from what a straight observation might require. I do a lot of that "mediated reality" shit. It's become so commonplace, that I don't even think about it. So, Barry, thanks for sparking that brief internal philosophical conversation.

And thank you for the observation. Largely, I was just having fun, but it's sort of a serious fun. I've been struck over the years, since I first saw a busload of Japanese tourists at a viewpoint in Spain scurry over to the edge, snap frantic pictures of each other standing in front of the view, and scurry back onto the bus, all without ever taking so much as a glance at the scene with their own eyes. I realized that they would not have an actual memory of the place; the sum total of their experience would be the photos. I've caught myself doing the same thing; looking at something long enough to think that it would make a good picture, taking the picture, then turning away. In such a situation, my photo corresponds exactly with my experience of the place, because that was in fact all I experienced about it. It only gets worse with video. I see parents all the time trailing their children around with videocameras, not actually experiencing the birthday party, but dutifully recording it for future consumption. Thus, it is important in my picture here that the actual jellyfish are indistinct blurs, with only the image of the jellyfish being sharp; also, the tank is big, but it might as well be an inch or so on a side, because the real tank here is the one with the pixels.

 

So, you might ask, what was I doing taking pictures instead of looking at the fish myself? I probably need a 12-step program, but really, honest, I was just looking at the jellyfish when this woman marched up and started recording, and my hands just went instinctively to my own camera . . .

Nope, David's experiment is a no-go. My LCD seems to fill up with what you'd normall expect from the sewage treatment plant day-trip almost regardless of where I go. Oh well, with time... :-)

 

Love the idea (vaguely remember from college this being called a "meta-drama" when referring to literary and theater works. A 'play' about the acting of a 'play' for example (like the one with Christoper Reeves, John Ritter and Michael Cain... should see it if you haven't)

 

Anyway, Love the creativity, the social commentary, the DOF and other technical aspects...

 

Saddest part about video is that my experience tells me we are rarely if ever going to view that video. So, if we're not paying attention now, nor will we view it later... guess that leaves us at 'carpe diem' (hey look, one more thing from college. I guess it WAS worth the $$ :-)

Jeff, sorry to hear my hypothesis didn't pan out. Your observations, however, are right on.

Barry I know what you mean about people taking images instead of making images...seems every time I don't have my camera with me I make the best images...Sometimes it's others who vision I appreciate the most...

I love this image because it stands for humanity....? I found a different crop...and that cigarette like thing sticking out bugged me...So out it went too...Of course this was done with all respect...the same we have for Mr.Meyer... hope you and yours are having a swell holiday...Juan

I think I'm going to be sick!

Now you can see why I wasn't focusing on what was in the tank. That guy pops up everywhere!

Did you say "pops up," or "pops off?"

Sheesz...Barry I guess I should have mentioned that the image I inserted was from an Old Agfa Rangefinder...called the "Brick" I used one of the my last rolls of Agfa Pan 25 just for you...knowing how hard it was for you and guys like Mr. Meyer to give up on B&W film....I thought I could inspire some old guys to go back...waaaaaay back to their days of their youth...I meant no dissrespect...I was trying to show that the images the we make/take are just as important when we take/make them when we are in a hurry...some of those tour bus drivers are relentless...stoping only when THEY have to pee...

 

I forgot to mention before...I love the light reflecting onto the this powerful wrist...the simple warm light shinning down from the heavens above onto the dainty fingernails...I still can't figure out what that worm like thing that protrudes from the back of the hand is?? any Ideas?

Love this image...! Juan