Verbs

One of the long-standing debates on the periphery of photography is whether a photograph is "taken" or "made". The connotations include the amount of intentionality in the act, whether it's passive or creative, and the role of authorship, among other issues, including a certain level of pretension. I cared about this for a while, before my concern about this kind of concern faded out.

So it's with a certain amount of surprise that I find my language choices changing after all these years. Increasingly I'm just skipping the word "photographed" completely. Instead I've shifted to saying "recorded" – it's device-agnostic, so it works whether I'm using a camera, scanner, or microphone. It emphasizes that the initial capture is a matter of selecting parts of the world that I want to work with later, and just the beginning of the creative process that doesn't really end until the work is finalized and published.

I haven't yet tried saying "recorded" instead of "photographed" in conversation with a photographer, but eventually I'll be brave enough.


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Worldizing

"Worldizing" is a useful audio concept.

Re-recording a sound as it's played back in an environment lets the unique acoustics and ambience of the space become a part of the new recording. It's the difference between a living sound and a sterile effect. Phones ringing in an empty classroom, a narrow hallway, or a crowded elevator all deserve their own nuance.

I think in words, so it makes sense that I see that way as well. Their meanings, combinations, placement, arrangement, style, design, and surrounding environment all fascinate me. Photographing signage is something that I've been passionate about for years – taking something utilitarian, designed for other purposes, and shaping it into something that I choose.

Using a camera as the answer to a graphic design question creates a powerful mix of limitations and options. The existing design is dramatically altered, new graphic elements are juxtaposed or overlaid, the meaning and structure of the words are subverted or removed. Shapes become prominent, dimensionality can be emphasized or flattened, and something that was once ubiquitous can be seen anew.

"Worldizing" is a useful photographic concept.


Comments, questions, thoughts? You can find me on Twitter or via e-mail.