The author of “The Photograph”, Vilem Flusser, really offered a new perspective on physical photographs and the difference between them and other technical images. What stuck out to me was the way he brought the camera to life. He gave the camera a mind of it’s own and gave it an agenda. I’ve personally never really thought about the camera that way. I always saw it as a creative tool of expression. When I was younger, I got really into taking pictures and even considered myself an amateur photographer. I grew up learning to use DSLRs like the Nikon D40, 3200, and their canon counterparts. Naturally, I got attached to some of these cameras yet I still only considered them cameras. I didn’t think the way that Flusser did. It never occurred to me, but then again I was very young and I’m still very young.
I have only recently adapted the mindset of “decoding” as the author labels it. I would say within the past year I’ve really been trying to not just blindly consume pictures, film, and other media. I have made a conscious effort to understand the intention and bias of the authors whose work I am observing. So I’ve barely begun getting to this level of philosophical thinking that Flusser is at. Of course the media we consume now is much different than what he was interpreting in the mid 1900s, but regardless it is still media. I want to understand it.
Overall, the article was pretty interesting to read. After reading, I became more interested in learning Vilem Flusser himself and his influence. I appreciate the new perspective. He’s definitely got me thinking.