Friday, February 28, 2014

Week Six Reading Response

Nan Goldin
Disclosing Biography-Unabridged and Uncensored
pages 198-205

"'The camera is as much of my everyday life as talking or eating or sex,' she explains. 'The instant photographing, instead of creating distance, is a moment of clarity and emotional connection for me.'" I completely understand and agree with her quote here. Personally, even when I don't have a camera on me, I am constantly seeing life in moments of "stills". My mind runs like a camera, sometimes a still camera sometimes a video camera, constantly trying to capture every little detail. But I see the world in a very particular way, and I have this sense of relief when I can actually photograph life, and especially when it matches what I am seeing in my head. The article goes on to describe the camera as similar to  a diary to Nan Goldin, and I can understand that analogy. Even when I posing people or situations it's still my view, similar to a diary. I think I am connecting to this reading and her work because it is all so personal. She wants to hold on to everything, much like I do. I find myself agree with most of her quotes and direction, even though there are obvious aesthetic differences to our photographs. The article made me realize that in my photographs (although I don't choose to highlight it) there is still the underlying interest in mental illnesses, be it my own or my subjects. I just don't photograph it in such an obvious way. Overall, this article was inspiring, and really made me think about my own work.

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