Académique Documents
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Amontá Jones
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to describe how photography ties into self-expression,
therapy, and storytelling. I went tagged along with Victor Ren on one of his photoshoots and got
a feel for what a casual photographer experiences. I found more information and interesting
stories about photography by talking with Riley who is also a casual photographer.
Arizona State photographers are everywhere but they are hidden at the same time. You
can find them if you look in places where people are not. They capture what people see every
day and put it in their own perspective. Their incentive is not for money, good grades, or any
type of approval. It is the pure joy that is brought to them when they capture these images.
With finals just around the corner, money tight, and friends gone for the break this
creates an uncomfortable tension in a college student’s life. Arizona State has a highly
competitive rate for internships and is known for Journalism and Business. Victor, a stressed
college student turns to photography. Whenever he turns to photography Victor enters his own
oasis and finds himself in a totally different world to escape the craziness of it all. I had noticed
some of his work on social media and it made me curious why he put so much of his own life
into photography. As the years past by I had realized that almost everyone owned a camera in
some form, whether that be on a smartphone or an actual camera. I noticed the population of
today’s age.
I went to popular sites in Downtown Phoenix such as First Friday, Civic Space Park, and
South Central Avenue. I would watch the casual photographers go about their shoots. I found
two photographers that did photography for pure joy and then proceeded to ask them deeper
questions. As I was talking with Riley Trujillo she had mentioned that she became interested in
photography through her dad. Her interested in photography sparked even more when she had
received her first personal camera through a scholarship. Once she received this camera
photography was more involved in her life. Riley then brought up a few misconceptions. One of
Running head: ASU Casual Photography
misconceptions she mentions is everyone can be a photographer if they have a nice camera. That
is false because there is much more that goes into photography than having a nice camera. An
article says, “ Better gear won’t make you a better photographer. Don’t buy these things because
you’re tired of sucking and you think these will help. The only solution to that is to learn, study,
and practice taking photos. But gear can make photography more fun, and there’s definitely
value in that.” (Lee, 2018). Riley agrees with this article by saying, “ I think that pretty much
now n days like if you have nice camera (people think) anybody can be a photographer and I
think that’s like a stigma around photographers because it’s like everybody can be a
photographer if they have a nice camera which is relatively true to a extent I think because
everyone can make their pictures look good but I think there’s something unique about a style
photography or a theme within portraits at least that what I would try to accomplish with my
photography not necessarily go take pictures of my friends but rather go to like different rallies.”
(Personal Communication, 9 Oct. 2018). One of the main skill sets of a photographer is creativity
because a camera isin’t going to do it all. According to a scholarly source it says, “ Although the
camera usually limits the photographer to depicting existing objects rather than imaginary or
interpretive views, the skilled photographer can introduce creativity into the mechanical
reproduction process. The image can be modified by different lenses and filters. The type of
sensitive material used to record the image is a further control, and the contrast between
The lens and an actual (non-iPhone) camera seems to be the most needed
object, but besides the obvious, it’s actually the editing software that plays the biggest
researching photography I learned about the importance of flash in photography. The article,
“Darkness visible: A short history of flash photography” says, “ Flash can make plain, bring out
of obscurity, the appearance of things that may never before have been seen with such clarity.” (
Flint, 2017, pp. 44+). South Central Avenue and the Downtown Campus at Arizona State
are the most popular locations for photographers and their photography. I found that
Instagram was the most popular and efficient element for photographers and their
photos next to their own personal website or VSCO. The most common age for
photography is teens and young adults although people of all ages can take part in
photography. Some common activities for casual photographers are attending rallies as
Riley did. She told me about her experience and how she had the opportunity to take
pictures at the rally. “Like I went to the Supreme Court and shot photos of a protest that
people were organizing against the Muslim van when Trump was here having hearings
at the Supreme Court, so doing things like taking photos for a reason to tell a story is
sometimes more important than just the stigma that anyone can take photos of
include a popular local event called First Friday. First Friday is an event in Downtown
Phoenix where the whole city comes together on the first Friday of each month to
Running head: ASU Casual Photography
embrace the diversity of the city and community. A lot of casual photographers thrive
off of events like this. Photographers are also driven by their friends. Photoshoots are
becoming more popular and invites the photographer of the group into situations that
allows them to make their friends feel and look good. Along those lines golden hour has
a similar effect. Golden hour appears right before or after the sun sets where the light
This is considered the best time for photographers. I have noticed a majority of my
people taking the pictures. It also proves that a lot of people have cameras but aren't
point in time that you would like to remember or to give a certain situation different
perspective. Their central values are keeping and recording memories, central Intrest is
capturing a place in time at a certain angle and giving off a certain perspective, and
central obstacle is Time, Money, and skill. This is important because photography has
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter becoming visually dominate, everywhere you look you
see some sort of photography. A picture can tell a story a person can’t.
People turn to photography to show things that they can’t express with words.
Whether that be their sadness, love, or just their mood in general. I enjoyed this whole
process and I loved hearing a different perspective of the same activity. Photography is
Running head: ASU Casual Photography
and always will be a dominant way of communication and will help people enter a world
References
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