After Photography - Fred Ritchie

After Photography, written by Fred Ritchie, explores photography in a conceptual way and touches on a lot of the possibilities, limits and issues associated with photography. 

The first paragraph on page 143 that talks about the possibilities of what could happen--and what inevitably would regarding photography, like implementing it into household items or using it on a molecular level. The one part that stood out to me was when he says cameras would ultimately be put in our skin and roam our bodies. Thinking about this being a possibility, which may not be very far off, could either really help the advancement of medical technologies or could reach an insane level of intrusion. 

This leads into the next quote: "Paradoxically, the subject of the photograph is often voiceless, unable to contest his or her depiction. Often the photographer barely knows the person, yet the image could be used to define the person or to represent a certain theme." Capturing a photograph of someone is an even more limited version of interacting with someone. No matte how much you know a person, you still do not know them as a whole, and I think seeing a photograph of someone unfamiliar has a similar feeling as passing a stranger on the street. When we see a photograph, we create an entire narrative of that moment and possibly person, and I know I at least tend to do this when seeing strangers, yet I am aware that I do not know the full picture or their entire story. We are infinite frames. 

With the rise of digital photography, the way people interact with photography has completely changed.   Paolo Woods is quoted saying, " 'It's a bit like wine: you make the wine; then you wait a while for it to become good before you drink it. But digital images, you consume immediately.' " This makes me wonder if that addiction to instant gratification may have stemmed from the invention of digital photography. This is a problem that is infecting a lot of the ways we interact with the world, and I think practicing older practices that take more time and patience and involvement in the process can allow us to slow down and feel connected to the things happening around us.

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