"The Photographer's Eye" (Blog 1)

The Photographer's Eye

John Szarkowski

The article entitled, The Photographer’s Eye" truly gives the reader a wide array of what it means to be a photographer. The author does a nice job of referencing photographers from the earlier years, when photography was in its earliest stages. I found this to be quite refreshing. A little bit of my background is in order.

I was born in 1989, digital photography hadn't quite hit the market yet. When I was young I was into expeditions of taking pictures, I had a point and shoot type of camera. As I grew older I was aloud to use my families instant camera. At the time my brain could not have imagined technology and the advancements that would be made in my lifetime and many at that before I turned 16 years old. It wasn't until I was a freshman in high school, when I was in my first photography class, I had my first experience with a digital camera. The entire concept was so foreign to me. I found a liking to it. Lots of research later and with the help of my photography teacher, I purchased my very own digital camera. Soon, I was finding myself being excused from class to take pictures for the high school’s yearbook and I wasn't even in Photojournalism class. My innocence of being a child and early adulthood brings me to precisely my point which I see in the article.

Technology is continuing to be developed everyday. There is always something better than the last on the market. However, the things that do not change is history. History does not necessarily repeat itself as it does in other matters. History however is one thing we as photographers can cherish for a lifetime. The beautiful thing about photography is a photograph if preserved correctly, it can last a lifetime. Art in itself is also beautiful, but its so time consuming and not everyone can draw or have time to draw. A camera and developing is inexpensive these days. This is why so many people have picked up a camera and began shooting pictures. Surely there is a big difference between an amateur and professional but the memories of the picture attained will be preserved forever. A picture is more than an illusion as the past consensus says in the article. The photograph is real. Photograph's can, "...only record it as he found it" (Szarkowski 3) and in doing so whether on accident or purposively it creates a piece of art.

KT