I once heard that if you don't write something down, it never happened. I believe that that is a profound statement, but that in today's world it is necessary to include all forms of media (photography, film, etc). Photographs are an essential way to document what happens in life. But are they always accurate? The reading brought to my attention that at times a photograph may be hard to access and not easily interpreted. A photograph is a moment without context. It is our duty as active viewers to search for a meaning in our daily intake of media.
I found it interesting to read the two chapters for this week in tandem. They both touched on interpretation of images, but in different ways. The essential point of both chapters was
It may sound redundant, but what is most important to me is media that has worth. By this I mean that there must be a purpose that I can derive from it; some deeper meaning. Many movies, sadly, are largely focused on the action, but very much lacking in depth of character and meaning. These media forms are sad excuses for entertainment. It is important to me that media have an emotion attached to it. When I see a photograph, I don't want to see some grandiose exploitation of the artist's talent. I want to feel the emotion of the scene and derive a story from it.
I do admit, some media is over my head. At a glance I am not able to find its worth. In these challenging cases, I try to find contextual clues, such as historical background of the piece, or the background of the artist. Or even, just looking at it, try to devise my own application for the media. This is especially true for Shakespeare, Plato, etc.

Blog 3: January 25th

How do the readings explore what we see and hear in important moments? What do you see and hear that is important and valuable to me? How do you engage with challenging images that other present you with?

The readings for this week seem to focus on those images that we retain. Interestingly enough, despite the many images we see daily, we can only recall a precious few. For instance, Amy asked us to think of an image that challenges us to bring to class tomorrow and try as I might I cannot think of something to bring. Why is it so difficult to remember images I've seen, because I know I have seen things that challenge me. I guess the point is that we see so much that it becomes too difficult for us to try to retain everything and so we let most of it go. This weeks readings focused on those things that for one reason or another we don't let go. What seems to be a common thread to me is that those images focused on in the readings are exactly what I'm looking for, that is, they share the characteristic that they are challenging. They are not something that we can easily dismiss and so they stick with us. Whether that be seeing the trade towers collapse or watching a poor South American girl dying in the mud, these images challenge us and thus they stay with us. Perhaps then, some of the most important moments we have are those that are challenging.

Why are there so many who insist on sharing what they see, especially when it is challenging? I believe it is because visually challenging images are just like every challenging thing in life; they are what allow us to grow. Without conflict or obstacle we are stuck. So when we find something that challenges us it is meaningful for us to find a way to share that so that others can grow in knowledge and understanding. That is an attraction that media holds for me. Media is a way to share with others those things that have taken meaning for us, because they challenged us, and through which we are able to challenge others helping their understanding to grow. Those things that define me, that change me...those are the things I want to share with you.

To be honest, I feel that too often when presented with challenging media my response is fight or flight. I either become extremely defensive and hostile to the material or I try and get away. Perhaps I need to cool down a little bit and think about what is being shared and, perhaps even more importantly, why. Though there are situations where the fight or flight is necessary, I do not believe it should be done rashly for that destroys our ability to grow. Sometimes its just worth taking the challenge.

Blog Post 3

Last year my wife taught English to seventh graders attending Mapleton Junior High. Large painted banners drawn up by students constantly announce and remind student body of certain activities and events. The students on one particular occasion struck up a banner that declared; “Always remember 9-12!”

When the terrorist attack upon the World Trade Center took place these kids were around two years old. For most of them the tragic event carries the same historical meaning as Pearl Harbor. For them it is an event read about. It carries no personal connection, and thus its importance and value is insignificant.

When the events of 9-11 unfolded I was coming out of early morning seminary in San Diego, California. My mom picked us up and the radio was carrying on about how a plane had run into one of the two towers in New York. I remember thinking; “Well a least it only hit a tower.” Later on I discovered it was not really a tower, but a skyscraper, and that the plane had crashed on purpose.

I really enjoyed reading James Nachtwey’s personal account of Ground Zero because it makes the event personal. I often had a hard time identifying with the tragedy in New York. At that point in my life I had never been out to the east coast, and I knew no one that was affected. Yet all media outlets forced me to watch and read non-stop news about the events for at least six weeks striaght. Even the ads on TV often referred to the terrorist attacks. “Be an American Hero and by a Jeep!”

Why should I care? Sure a few thousand people died. But that’s it. Three times as many people died in an earthquake in Turkey in that same year. Did that receive more than ten minutes of our country’s attention? When I saw the footage of people jumping out of the windows to escape the fires in the second tower I laughed. I simply could not connect with the grand importance of it all and our 24/7 obsession.

It wasn’t until I watched the film ‘World Trade Center’ that I felt a personal connection with the people who lost their lives, or were personally affected by the tragedy. James Nachtwey reminds me of this more intimate connection that makes the events relatable for an outsider like myself. It isn’t the technical information but his reactive thoughts that make up his story. He made his story valuable and important in a context I could find weight in.

-Nephi Hepworth

Blog Post 3

How do the readings explore what we see and hear in important moments? What do you see and hear that is important and valuable to me? How do you engage with challenging images that other present you with?

The readings had some very important examples of simple photos or stories that capture important moments that we would not ordinarily give a second look. It is like the old saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. This is true and emphasized throughout the readings. There is a story behind every moment that is captured in a photograph. Even the senior portraits from different decades showed what was socially acceptable and elements of segregation and then integration. The pictures of the children in war-torn countries were especially moving. The photos focus on the eyes or the faces of the children and you can immediately know what they are feeling, thinking, or suffering through. A picture, if looked at closely enough does say a thousand words. It captures moments that may not be important at that moment, but will become important later in life or in future generations.

Things that I see and hear that are important to me are pictures of my friends and family, particularly of my ten month old niece Addison. It is difficult to be away from her and miss the most crucial parts of her development. I savor and cherish each video and photo that my sister updates me with. These are valuable because they help me feel that I am still connected to my family even when I am across the country from them. Other images that I react to are of suffering. It is difficult for me to look at pictures of suffering because I feel so connected and empathetic for the person in the photo. It reminds me how wonderful my life is. It makes me realize that there is more work that I need to do in the world to create more moments of happiness to be photographed than sadness.

When I am presented with challenging images, such as the NPR add in the reading with the soldier sitting and talking to the young child from another country with the gun aimed and ready to shoot, it really triggers something inside of me. It is difficult for me to process such extreme examples of distrust, anger, and hatred. I also feel helpless in many instances because there is nothing that I can do to go back in time and change the photograph. However, it does make me hopeful for the future for happier and more loving moments to be captured as well. Seeing distressing images as unwanted as they are, it is a reality check. It is a slap in the face that many people need in the world and especially in our country. Images of this sort are necessary and effective in raising awareness and capturing the attention and heart of the viewer.

Blog 3

I'm currently rethinking my life. Or at least part of it. Am I truly as much a visual person as I had before supposed? Or am I merely a creation of an age when “images play a prominent role in determining American values and assumptions?” Chapters three and Seven of “Seeing and Writing” have the common theme of photography and how we view it.
The whole idea of a photograph is that it is meant to capture a moment. But is this true at all? We can all argue that it progressively becomes less the case the more “Photoshop” continues to take over, but was it ever really true? Even in photos with absolutely no alteration, we can't assume they tell the whole story or even an accurate one.
So it goes even with essays and even personal accounts. James Nachtwey's “Ground Zero” relives a very momentous incident that happened to him at Ground Zero on September 11. And though I thought the piece to be very accurate, it still wasn't the whole story. Nachtwey wasn't interested in telling the whole story, but merely showing us where he was and what it looked like. Or at least as far as he perceived it. This isn't to say that photography is any more free of bias.
Last year I went to an annual festival of color with my girlfriend and got a couple of really good picture of her covered in an array of bright exciting colors. To my family in distant parts of the country who have never met my girlfriend, it would seem they almost tend to judge her more off of those pictures than what I say about her. Which is silly because the context was completely removed. They inaccurately viewed her as a spontaneously free spirit who would douse herself in color on a whim.
Those pictures are a valuable capture of a moment, but they were taken from my perspective. Its a perspective that I understand and appreciate, while for others it would not have the same effect. So it is when we see or read anything in the media. We can't seem to take anything at face value anymore, but then I don't really remember a time when we ever could.

Last summer I decided to watch Jersey Shore. The reason why I chose to do that was mainly because I don’t like to be in the dark about things. If there is a show that everyone is talking about, I want to be able to join in the conversation with a perspective of someone who has actually watched it and then maybe my opinion about it will have more validity.


So, Jersey shore is a show on MTV, a channel that targets an audience of people who are anywhere from 14 to 25 years old, so before you even watch it, you’re not expecting to hear very many deep philosophical, political or religious discussions. You are expecting to see things from a younger more worldly perspective. So I think that if you go into a Show like Jersey Shore with a really mature way of seeing things you will be completely disgusted with the behavior of the characters in the show. But, if you go into it with a perspective that the people that you are seeing are young, don’t have the gospel of Jesus Christ and are trying to make it in the world the best way that they know how, you start to notice (surprisingly) some good things.

For instance, the people on the show have standards. They might not be my standards but they are standards nonetheless. They have to work very, very hard to uphold their Italian ‘guido’ lifestyle. Most of them spend hours a day tanning and exercising and getting ready for their nightly job of partying.

Seeing and Writing Chapter One

The first chapter of the book Seeing and Writing 3 was very appropriately focused on opening up its readers minds and eyes. It isn't easy to read closely or to look deeper. Sometimes the easiest route is to perceive everything with what the book calls “passive looking.”
Like Anne Dillard said in her essay Seeing “What you see is what you get,” we all can only derive meanings from art that we are willing to see. When I first saw the first photo of Pinkhassov's portfolio I “passively” glanced at it without really deriving much out of it in the way of meaning. Upon turning the pages and realizing there was much more to the portfolio I was able to return to the photo of the praying athletes with a keener eye. After returning to analyze the photo for a third and fourth time I saw much more than I had initially allowed myself to see. How often does this “passive looking” not only hide a work's meaning for me, but change its meaning all together?
When I glanced at the Volkswagen “Driver's Wanted” ad, it took me a little while to work my way over to the car in the bottom right corner. I had been trying to overcome the “passive looking” effect and was trying to slowly analyze every individual picture in the grid. I was already forming my own meaning out of it. I imagined that the photos were criticizing the boring, flat, unnatural lines of industry. Like the photos were attacking our modern culture's need for symmetry and how this is shown in our everyday lives. Imagine my disappointment when I realized the photo's true purpose was to encourage me to buy a New Beetle simply because of its unique shape. The context of the work changed my entire experience.
To quote Anne Dillard again, “Its all a matter of keeping my eyes open.”