I have been wondering what this MOOC would mean to me and I think what I would like to do is give definition to the reason why I have amassed a large collection of pictures, images and artifacts of people lives. This collection come primarily in the form of photographs. Photographs from all sorts of people at all stages in their lives. My collection is large I gather these photos from online auctions, thrift stores, antique shops and garage sales. There is a term for this..they are called vernacular photos. Some are taken professionally others are taken by friends, family members, and even strangers. After all who hasn’t been on a trip when you haven’t been asked to take someone’s photo with their spouse or you haven’t asked someone to do so for you. I saw this frequently on my trip to China.
At heart I am a researcher of people. I love they way they chronicle their lives through their photos, it is indeed art, illustrative storytelling.
This picture totally captures this woman’s life. Her face tells her story. A widow, yes, note the dark garb, the plain ribbon. A wit, a captured sparkle in her eye, I think it is there. A spirit and a dream and high standards they are all there in her face, her eyes and her hint of a smile. It is a fascinating story behind this photo.
The photo above of the three children also came from the same collection as the one of the woman. I can’t help but wonder ..are they somehow related? Grandchildren perhaps. You have to love those tense frozen faces..I hope they had a lot to smile about in their lives. Think about the contributions they may have made to this country, having families themselves..maybe they were YOUR relatives.
Having such a vast collection of photos, unplanned, unstaged and perhaps a bit wonky lets you see the world through a different lens than the glossy touched up photos in magazine. I recently acquired an old set of slides of Russian buildings and other things: (at least I think this is Russian all too often these slides or photos are unmarked)
Sometimes I look at a picture and I wonder what they saw, what was the picture takers story when he/she showed the picture to friends: (this photo actually did come from a box of photos marked Russia)
Photos are like brilliant flashes of one line quotes, frozen in time, with meaning and a story. We rush through our lives capturing moments in our minds, and now so freely,
digitally. We flash these vignettes around the world, telling our story.
I understand the story behind the picture below. I know this man yet I do not know him. But I understand that he was probably a cowboy, that this horse was part of his life and his livelihood, perhaps something he took a lot of pride in showing and riding.
Here is my story, or part of I feel this photo illustrates the world from which I came..
So far on this journey of sifting through these artifacts of the lives and stories and people I have been alone, with the thousands of pieces that make up my collection, a collection I started several years ago and fascinates me today. Only through the context of my experience have I been able to make define the meaning of it, what does it mean to me ..what would it mean to you?
Some of these are of recent experiences:
Examples of a past that is still relevant to our lives today. The farm machinery above exist as a tribute to the time when machinery that was needed was simple and functioned much upon the strength and hard work of the people who owned the land.
This photo below is a mystery to me ..the Bell in the background is fascinating.. any ideas? These slides are dirty, it’s going to take some retouching to restore them..I am just starting to dive into this collection. (the great thing about the web is if you do a google search you will find this is Ivan’s bell in Moscow)…
I visited Mesa Verde this past summer so you can imagine my delight when I found photos such as this one below in my collection:
You may be scratching you head and wondering..don’t I know what is in my collection and the answer to that is no, my collection is not catalogued or sorted according to any rhyme or reason, it is vast though. The photo above was scanned into my collection in July of 2007. Initially I started just focusing on Wyoming and in particular on Yellowstone, wanting to chronicle the changes in that area via amateur photographs. I have acquired hundreds of photos of the area:
At first I shunned pictures of people, however over time I began to study them, becoming fascinated with them and the storyteller in me started to come out. Questioning and wondering over the lives of the people who came before me to this area, to live their lives, and the contest of their lives.
I love thinking of the surprise of where this road will take me and I hope you as well. Let’s write this story together. I welcome your comments, your insight and your guidance as I being to share my collection of photos with you. I hope this fulfills the purpose of CMC#. Through this we all learn.
At heart I am a researcher of people. I love they way they chronicle their lives through their photos, it is indeed art, illustrative storytelling.
This picture totally captures this woman’s life. Her face tells her story. A widow, yes, note the dark garb, the plain ribbon. A wit, a captured sparkle in her eye, I think it is there. A spirit and a dream and high standards they are all there in her face, her eyes and her hint of a smile. It is a fascinating story behind this photo.
The photo above of the three children also came from the same collection as the one of the woman. I can’t help but wonder ..are they somehow related? Grandchildren perhaps. You have to love those tense frozen faces..I hope they had a lot to smile about in their lives. Think about the contributions they may have made to this country, having families themselves..maybe they were YOUR relatives.
Having such a vast collection of photos, unplanned, unstaged and perhaps a bit wonky lets you see the world through a different lens than the glossy touched up photos in magazine. I recently acquired an old set of slides of Russian buildings and other things: (at least I think this is Russian all too often these slides or photos are unmarked)
Sometimes I look at a picture and I wonder what they saw, what was the picture takers story when he/she showed the picture to friends: (this photo actually did come from a box of photos marked Russia)
Photos are like brilliant flashes of one line quotes, frozen in time, with meaning and a story. We rush through our lives capturing moments in our minds, and now so freely,
digitally. We flash these vignettes around the world, telling our story.
I understand the story behind the picture below. I know this man yet I do not know him. But I understand that he was probably a cowboy, that this horse was part of his life and his livelihood, perhaps something he took a lot of pride in showing and riding.
Here is my story, or part of I feel this photo illustrates the world from which I came..
So far on this journey of sifting through these artifacts of the lives and stories and people I have been alone, with the thousands of pieces that make up my collection, a collection I started several years ago and fascinates me today. Only through the context of my experience have I been able to make define the meaning of it, what does it mean to me ..what would it mean to you?
Some of these are of recent experiences:
Examples of a past that is still relevant to our lives today. The farm machinery above exist as a tribute to the time when machinery that was needed was simple and functioned much upon the strength and hard work of the people who owned the land.
This photo below is a mystery to me ..the Bell in the background is fascinating.. any ideas? These slides are dirty, it’s going to take some retouching to restore them..I am just starting to dive into this collection. (the great thing about the web is if you do a google search you will find this is Ivan’s bell in Moscow)…
I visited Mesa Verde this past summer so you can imagine my delight when I found photos such as this one below in my collection:
You may be scratching you head and wondering..don’t I know what is in my collection and the answer to that is no, my collection is not catalogued or sorted according to any rhyme or reason, it is vast though. The photo above was scanned into my collection in July of 2007. Initially I started just focusing on Wyoming and in particular on Yellowstone, wanting to chronicle the changes in that area via amateur photographs. I have acquired hundreds of photos of the area:
At first I shunned pictures of people, however over time I began to study them, becoming fascinated with them and the storyteller in me started to come out. Questioning and wondering over the lives of the people who came before me to this area, to live their lives, and the contest of their lives.
I love thinking of the surprise of where this road will take me and I hope you as well. Let’s write this story together. I welcome your comments, your insight and your guidance as I being to share my collection of photos with you. I hope this fulfills the purpose of CMC#. Through this we all learn.
Wow! So many possibilities for so much fun ... the challenge may be to find a platform upon which to place the images and such where many can access, move around and discuss. Are you thinking of a l near story line, or can we come up with some more interesting, perhaps hyperlinked, ideas for development? Exiting potentials here that truly lend themselves to the connectivist venue of the MOOC.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cathy! What an interesting hobby. You can make up a story for all of these pictures. It makes you wonder that when you take a photo, it might end up in someone elses hands someday and be given a completely different meaning than what it has for you. Especially those old time photos, think that widow had it in mind that she would be on someone's MOOC blog someday being talked about? I doubt it. I can see how these pictures can really make you stop and think about the story behind them. Great share.
ReplyDeleteThese are great photos! I can relate to your excitement... I spend hours upon hours admiring and thinking about pictures. Although I do not have a collection of other people's photography, I take many myself. I mainly browse online and study the techniques to see if I can use them later in one of my photos. This is a wonderful hobby:)
ReplyDelete