[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/48236494[/vimeo]
I came upon this video by accident today, and, aside from bringing a rush of feelings and memories, it made me think of this course. It reminded me of our readings about text forms becoming more visual (for better or for worse), as well as the thoughts about how much information and meaning sounds and images can pack into short snippets. While text can sometimes sum up beautifully a memory or visual (whether you think it can do so better than some images or not) the written word just can’t do it as fast as an image or sound can. Take a look at the video above, and see what you think / feel.
It never ceases to amaze me how moving a few seconds of visual can be. The old adage, “A picture’s worth a thousand words,” certainly has always rang true for me. From a very young age, I have been obsessed with pictures. My Nanny’s cabinet held shoeboxes of old photos; my relatives always knew where I could be found, buried underneath piles of memories captures on small prints.
The ease and accessibility of mobile photography/editing apps has proven invaluable to me. I am a hopeless case when it comes to sitting down and documenting memories in typewritten format. I have tried to keep diaries and journals at various points in my life, but the results have never held the same appeal or emotional connection to me as photographs. I have a professional DSLR camera, but I find myself using it less and less as it can become cumbersome to carry around in busy places and cause anxiety when it comes to potential damage or theft. It can also be seen as intrusive in sensitive, private situations. (Not everyone wants to feel like they are being attacked by the paparazzi at any given moment of their day.)
The recording of both static and video images on mobile technology is constantly improving and beginning to rival the quality of the most high end cameras. Add to that the ability to edit and post to social media, and people are given the ability to instantly share their own stories with the world. It is a pretty amazing thing when you really think about it!