The reason why I chose capturing moments through photography is because I have a strong passion and experience with cameras. Photography started off as a hobby for me and I decided to take it to a more professional level. I am gaining knowledge of photography everyday. Growing up I have always enjoyed the stories that my family would tell me after looking back at past photographs. I especially enjoyed taking photos of my family and friends. I was very interested in learning deeper about what a photograph is capable of capturing. I find it very important to preserve photos for future, past, and present purposes. I want moments to be remembered and never forgotten.

 In the article, “Sharing One Skin,” by Jeanette Armstring, it explains that “Sharing One Skin” is the phrase that the Okanagan people use to describe their word for relationship and community. The Okanagan people describe it as people being tied by a bond that is uniquely human. “We are tied together by those who brought us here and gave us blood and gave us a place. Our most serious teaching is that community comes first in our choices, then family, and then ourselves as individuals, because without community and family we are truly not human.” It means that humans have a responsibility that ensures our own survival and holds us accountable for destruction to other humans. The Okanagan people teach that each person is born into a family and a community. This means that individuals are automatically considered a family and part of a community because of that unique human bond that brings people together. 

Armstrong, Jeanette. “Sharing One Skin: The Okanagan Community”, in Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith (eds), The Case Against the Global Economy. San Francisco, CA, Sierra Club Books, 1996. Pp 460-470.

Memories and stories are connected to our land as described by B. Toastie in the article. “How place names impact the way we see landscape” There are Memories and stories that tie our understanding of the land. The land is connected to culture and teachings and that is a way in which we remember stories. These memories and stories become history and that history becomes a meaning that we honor. We give honor to those who we named places after. It is a way to remember their story and those stories will never be forgotten. 

Toastie, B. “How place names impact the way we see landscape.” High Country News: Know the West, 1 May 2022.

In the article “And Then I Went to School” Memories of a Pueblo Childhood by Joe Suina focuses on the teachings that his grandmother taught him while growing up and how the whiteman’s world changed his way of life. Growing up Suina was taught many valuable lessons by his grandmother. It made him feel connected to his culture. Suina’s view begins to shift when the whiteman's world is introduced to him. After going to school he was forced to learn their ways. He was restricted from using his native tongue and forced to learn English. They were told to “Leave your Indian at home.” He started to feel confused and he started to question the way his grandmother taught and raised him. He lost connection as he started adjusting to the whiteman’s ways when he left home.

Suina, Joe, and Joseph H. Suina is an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of New Mexico. “And Then I Went to School.” Rethinking School, 22 June 2021.

   The article “The invention of the daguerreotype process” by Dylan Lavigne, focuses on the development of the French artist and inventor of the Daguerreotype process. In the 19th century, Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre invented the Daguerreotype process, which was “a photographic process that utilized a silver plated sheet of metal that was treated with iodine and later mercury and hyposulphite of soda in order to expose and permanently suspend the photographer’s development process. Daguerre took interest in Joseph Niepce’s development of heliography, a technique he used to create the world’s oldest surviving product of a photographic process, and believed that he could use the technique and ideas to finish Niepce's work. Daguerre first focused  on photography of still objects because of the limited amount of time it took to take a photo. At the time, photography was not popular, so “Daguerre saw the chance to bring this technology to popularity”. Daguerre was very secretive about his methods and was successful in claiming ownership of his invention. 

Lavian, Dylan. “The Invention of the Daguerreotype Process." Scalar, March 2021.

The article “Kodak and the Rise of Amateur Photography” by Mia Fineman, focuses on the history of amateur photography. The introduction of the Kodak #1 camera came out in 1888. “The kodak was a simple box camera that came loaded with a 100-exposure roll of film. When the roll was finished, the entire machine was sent back to the factory in Rochester, where it was reloaded and returned to the customer while the first roll was being processed.” The kodak camera was made possible by technical advances in the development of roll film and small, fixed focus cameras. This camera was invented and marketed by George Eastman, a former bank clerk from Rochester, New York. Eastman was a genius at marketing strategy. He made photography accessible to millions of casual amateurs with no particular professional training, technical expertise, or aesthetic credentials. Eastman launched an advertising campaign and within a few years Kodak's introduction of snapshot photography became a national craze. The word “Kodak” was known to many. It was estimated that over 15 million roll-film cameras had reached the hands of amateur shutterbugs. 

Fineman, Mia. “Kodak and the Rise of Amateur Photography.” In the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000.  

“A Brief History of Photography,” by Irena Martinez, focuses on how, throughout the years, the development of photography has drastically transformed from box, to film, polaroid, DSLR, GoPro, and even smartphones. Photography started off as a “human desire to capture reality”. Drawings and paintings were initially developed as a way to imitate and represent certain aspects of people’s surroundings. And so it began during the 14th century BC. The camera obscura is seen through the writings of a Chinese philosopher, Mozi. This camera did not capture images, but it manipulated them through a light that was reflected off an external structure from a box with a small hole. In the year 1826, Joseph Niepce used his knowledge of chemistry to develop the bitumen solution. It was coated on  a pewter plate and exposed to 8 hours of sunlight, to capture the first photograph known to humankind. In 1833, Niepce’s understudy, Louis Daguerre, took this idea and invented the daguerreotype. It became popular, but it took a long time. In the year 1900, the Kodak Brownie was “the introduction to everyday photography as we know today”. It allowed  shorter exposure time. The tagline “you press the button, we do the rest”, meant that the consumers would not need to develop photos themselves because they would do it for you. 

Martinez, Irena. “A Brief History of Photography.” Youtube, 6 May 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=aqE3X-iospE.

The photography industry has repetitively experienced declining profits and increased pay. As we have returned to normalcy, companies blame Covid for decreasing pay as their profits resume. Photographers have come to question “Is this our new normal?” From a photo editor, each photographer who responded to Rob saw their income increase during the pandemic. The focus shifted away from influencers and back to actual skills. As companies began to evolve back into their economies, they naturally had more money to invest. “It gave a glimmer of hope that photography might return to its glory days. But it was too good to be true.” Paying as little as possible. In order to gain access to the major clients, most photographers have opted for agent representation. Prior to Covid, many agents wouldn’t give a photographer the time of day unless they had landed a client on their own, had a large following, or were the child of someone famous. Now, many commercial photographers can’t afford to have an agent and are choosing to represent themselves. “A photographer shouldn’t have to accept a pay cut for the agreed payment.”

Smith, Brittany. “Are Declining Profits a New Normal for Photographers?” The Phoblographer, 6 March 2023. Accessed 27 November 2023.

There is a rising death toll of people pursuing risky selfies to impress users on social media. Over 300 casualties occurred in barely a decade in popular outdoor destinations across continents. As these are tourist destinations, it is argued that there should be boundaries and warning signs to prevent thrill-seeking users fixating on capturing selfies in dangerous locations. People are taking photos of fast moving waters, such as waterfalls and rivers. It was reported that people have drowned from taking risky selfies. “Younger generations need better education around situational awareness and risk assessment.” Social media apps should leverage their wide reach to educate users about danger.

Cooke, Alex. “Selfie-Related Deaths Are Now a 'Public Health Problem.'” Fstoppers, 28 November 2023. 

Is it a Cause or Cure? “Mental Wellbeing And Photography” by Grant Scott is about how, according to recent research, as much as 25% of photographers struggle with mental health issues. "For some, the pressure of photography can fill some with crushing anxiety, others find solace through making images and some photographers use photography to explore their own issues through the documentation of others suffering similar issues to themselves.” Photographers are confronting their experiences of mental illness and challenging themselves to a form of self-healing. Taking a camera will help to express emotions. “The competitive marketplace puts pressure on photographers, as the global financial crisis has heightened.” In a way, it is both a cause and a cure.

Scott, Grant. “Mental Wellbeing and Photography: Cause or Cure? – The United Nations of Photography.” The United Nations of Photography, 30 September 2022.

ITP Staff, explains that after a survey was done in the Middle East and Africa region 89% of people have lost precious photos due to loss, failure, theft, or full storage space on their phones. Nearly half of the respondents use their mobile as their main stream storage for their phones. They store about 1,000 and 4,000-5,000 unprinted photos on social media accounts, smartphones, and cameras. More people wish they had photo printers to print their photos as a physical backup. The #WishIdPrintedIt campaign highlights the importance of capturing your most treasured memories and putting them in tangible photograph form.

ITP Staff. “Survey Shows most people have lost precious photos due to phone issues.” Edge Middle East, December 4 2018.

Digital disinformation and restrictions on photojournalists have complicated decision-making about the visual chronicle of the Israel-Hamas war.  There are many gruesome photos of Palestinian children that have been spread throughout social media before they can be verified.  Photographs, and the act of photojournalism itself, are weaponized by both sides of a highly charged conflict. It is complex. In interviews, editors at newspapers, TV stations and wire agencies said they had devoted countless hours to deciding what their audiences saw and heard about the war. Among the factors is how much horror a viewer or reader can tolerate, and whether an image sensationalizes or trivializes violence. News outlets also feel a responsibility to victims and their families, who may not be aware that a relative has been killed or badly injured.

Robertson, Katie. “Harsh Visuals of War Leave Newsrooms Facing Tough Choices”. The New York Times, November 14 2023. 

Advertisements promoting unrealistic beauty and body standards from the article “Photo Editing Apps and Their Potential Harms for Teens” by Rachel Friedman, sets images of "Perfect" physical appearances in the mass media are often viewed as toxic, and, with the surge in promoting self-confidence.  These falsified conceptions are moving beyond the mass communication industry and into our personal lives with the advent of photo-editing apps. These apps allow users to edit nearly every aspect of pictures. This includes actual photographic aspects such as lighting, color, and shadows, as well as human features such as teeth, skin, and body shape. Some aspects of photo editing are largely harmless. Placing filters on photos to enhance the colors and lighting allows users to create a distinct look for their social media presence and increase the quality of images. Therefore, similar to advertisements, edited photos on social media may lead teens to set beauty standards higher than what are really attainable.

Friedman, Rachel. “FOSI | Photo-Editing Apps and Their Potential Harms for Teens.” Family Online Safety Institute, 2 August 2018.