Between Life and Record: Too Near and Too Far

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Welcome back again! 

Today's post deals with how photos can create a sense of being both inside of and outside of the special moments we capture.


Jurgenson explains that the idea that digital connection is unhealthy and less real runs parallel to the claim that the social photo pulls out of reality. He further mentions that the "worry is that the ubiquity of social photography threatens our ability to really live in the moment" (Jurgenson, 78). But what even is "the moment?" What does it mean to be "in" it? This first photograph captures a moment in time and space - it is an image of an image. To the viewer, one can see a polaroid picture of my beautiful family. The distance between the camera and the object is rather short, creating a sense of closeness or intimacy. However, the viewer is like an outsider looking in, unaware of the actual moment being captured. As I look back at this image, I remember the exact memory of this picture being taken in Waikiki during my 16th birthday. 


"All documentation imposes distance between the observer and the world between life and record" (Jurgenson, 80). 

One way to discuss this distance provided by the lens is through the act of posing. As Craig Owens describes it, "posing is a sort of bodily freeze; the person is momentarily still for the camera and then forever stilled in the resulting image" (Jurgenson, 81). As my mother was capturing this image, I honestly did not know what to do or even how to stand. I felt myself grounded by the sand and tried to "soak" in the moment of just being at the beach. In most of the pictures I take of myself, I always think to "pose." Here I am posing, putting one hand behind my ear and the other holding my dress. It is this freeze that many latch onto when claiming that the social photo is collectively taking us out of the moment. Although this posing and freezing may take us out of the moment, I argue that it allowed me to fully capture this experience and feel present. 

I hoped you enjoyed! 

With love,
Ashley <3











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