Vernacular Photography & Web 3.0

Vernacular Photography

Vernacular photography refers to photographs being captured of subjects surrounding the everyday life and common items, captured by amateur and unknown photographers. For example, this image is titled 'Family House' and the subject and focus of this image is the family themselves and is taken by a neighbour/friend rather than a professional photographer, taking in lighting, depth of field etc. This family is a representation of the everyday, an everyday family on an outing. Many examples of vernacular photography surround family photographs in the everyday household, and also holiday images. When reviewing different vernacular photographs they all hold this sense of history and the past time, reflected through their clothing, the style and colouring of the image. It is often referred to as 

accidental art' as it is photography that isn't planned or holding a 

set up behind it, it wasn't an event that was preplanned, it is just 

captured in the moment, receiving the name of 'accidental'. It is 

also often related to found photography, which is a genre of 

photography than is based on using photographs that have been lost or throw away and are recovered creating these vernacular and found photographs.

In relation to my project, this idea of the 'accidental' aspect relates to my theme of the everyday environment as I am aiming to capture objects and items in the nature environment that have been placed there by accident and have no purpose to why there  have been placed there. 

Reading: 'Ways of Seeing' - John Berger

John Berger's reading relates around this process and action of looking and seeing, gazing through your own personal perspective. Instantly he demonstrates the importance of visually seeing, 'But there is also another sense in which seeing comes before words.' And his idea of seeing here relates to photographic images and the process of capturing an image. Within photography the main target and outcome is to produce an image/or set of images, a visual artwork - something to visually look at rather than have to review. Berger states that 'The way we see things is affected by what we know or what we believe in.' And I believe this statement relates to photography or being a photographer hugely as what you choose or aim to photograph is dependent on your personal beliefs. As his reading continues he states that 'Images were first made to conjure up the appearances of something that was absent. Gradually it became evident that an image could outlast what it represented.' And from this statement he expresses the beauty of photographs, they outlast what they are representing, history is told and visually seen through photographs, reflecting a time we did not live in and never experienced.

Web 3.0 -

‘How can a creative individual be recognised as unique, when Instagram has made everyone’s photographs look the same?’ – Photographer ‘Erica Scour

• The Internet is constantly evolving, with web 2.0 was used for communicating but web 3.0 furthers this effect and uses ‘meta’ data to see users interests and search outcomes, to see what users on focusing on online.

• Taking photographs and sharing them online, that other users show interest towards or involved within their hobbies.

• Discovering new meaning within other artists photographs work, finding and dedicating new meanings and visual display.