Response On Image And Media

1. Identify the article you have selected and why you chose it.

I chose "The Art Of Instant Gratification" by Stephen Joel Trachtenberg. I had no reason to choose it really. I just decided to pick the bottom article of the page.

2. What are the main points of the essay

This essay is an historical remembrance on the progression of the photograph. Even though most of the essay deals with this, there is an underlying theme that the more our technology progresses the less these "photographic memories" mean to us.

3. How are the ideas or arguments in this article relevant to your own practice as a media artist?

This article made me contemplate two things. It caused me to wonder about what can possibly be faster than what we have now (this idea of instant photography that digital image creates). Can it come down to voice activation in order to take and transfer pictures? Is that too Sci-Fi of an idea? I don't know. We have come so far with photography I am not quite sure where we can go to improve speed.

The other mark of contemplation the essay left on me was this idea of our private lives dying. The internet has created a new brand of voyeurism that relies on this speed of information. As a human it concerns me. Knowing that people can be stalking me on facebook or myspace. As a media artist it thrills me. This sense of speed, and ability to get my work out at the click of a button. As an artist I "want people to stalk me" because it means they like my work. At the same time I want some of my work to remain private. I guess those just don't go up on the internet.

Video Hardware/Software Repsonses

How was my experience with the Olympus digital camera?

I thought this camera was very good. The only thing I would have changed was that I noticed the camera would sometimes take a clearer image than what the screen showed. It would also eliminate some of the sun (this was both with and without the flash). The images had an interesting feel to them that ended up disappointing me because of the camera. I was however, very pleased with one of the settings that created a bluish tint on my images and I used it very often.

What editing program did I use and was it a good choice?

I used my MacBook Pro's version of iMovie. The reason I chose this was because I did not have enough time to learn Final Cut Express and I am familiar with iMovie. Wait! I take that back. I am familiar with a different, better version of iMovie. I in fact got very fed up while trying to navigate this program and transition and effect options are limited to a short few that were not useful to me. I don't think it was a good choice for me to use this and I think it would have been a better experience had I tried out Final Cut Express instead. I hope I will not be using this software in the future.