We keep old pictures or post images of ourselves online as ways of organizing or reconstructing our past. Images are important because we derive some kind of pleasure from them (Sturken & Cartwright, 2001).

Photographs become evidence that we went on a vacation, held a party, or enjoyed ourselves with friends or relatives. They may display some desired quality in a relationship or your appearance at another time of your life.

Your choices in the pictures that you keep say as much about you as the images themselves. We project our truths onto the pictures that we value.


This project will explore myths you may have created or desires possibly expressed through symbols in an important photograph. Consider what it represened to you. Choose a photograph that you have possibly kept for a long time or that is important to you for some reason, and think about the questions below as you post a description of it.

Color or black & white?

Is anyone posing?

Who took the photo (do you know) ?

Is there an intended focus?

Do you know what was happening?

What details point to a specific era (clothing, hairstyle, car, decor)?

What is your favorite aspect of the it?

How do you recognize yourself in the photograph?

Why is it important to you?

How has its meaning changed since you first acquired it?

Friday, May 14, 2010

Christmas


This is a picture of my sister, brother, and me (I’m the one on the left) at Christmas.  It’s from somewhere in the early 90’s, maybe 1990 or 1991?  It was taken on Christmas morning and I think it kind of exemplifies some of the aspects of the iconic American Christmas.  Between the coordinating pajamas and the shiny new bike off to the side, this picture could have been taken in any number of American households. You obviously can’t tell it from the picture, but we all still believed in Santa Claus at this point, so Christmas still had this awesome sense of mystery attached to it.  The day after this picture was taken, we went to show the kids next door our new bike that Santa had brought, and they informed us that they had seen our parents sneaking it in on Christmas Eve.  So subsequent Christmases, although still fun in their own way, just didn’t have that same sense of mystery and wonder that this one had.  (Off topic, but I also really like this picture because it reminds me that at one point I was taller than my brother and sister ) 
Posted by christy

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