Dennis Dunleavy

Change is bittersweet

This Janis & Arlo cartoon reminds me that many people are beginning
to accept the inevitable decline of the daily newspaper. This week, a
colleague wrote to say that his newspaper was once again facing another
wave of layoffs and after nearly two decades he could soon find himself
out of a job. The cartoon is a painful reminder of the lost of tradition in our
culture.
two decades, we have seen a robust industry

Driving on water

Commercialism was on center stage, or in a pond, at the Honda Classic
PGA tournament  recently in Florida. 

Some pictures are still worth a thousand words

photo credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

It's comical to see the poetic justice of journalists convening in an men's
room to report on one stop in the democratic presidential campaign.  The
media handlers for Hillary Clinton's campaign must have had some fun
when deciding to set up a press room in a john.

Photography 2.0

Technological advances in digital photography are constantly challenging the notion of what photography is. Some of the latest innovations include refocus, high-dynamic range and 3D images. There may also be cameras that take pictures only when someone is smiling or isn't blinking.

Stephen Shankland of C/Net notes, "Researchers and companies are starting to stretch their wings by taking advantage of what a computer can do with sensor data either within the camera or on a full-fledged PC."

This shift signifies the advance of photography from an era of convention to one of computation. In a Photo 2.0 world the experience of making pictures will be governed not by chance but through calculation. Ultimately, this revolution in photographic technologies will not only change the way we make pictures but also the way we see.

Redefining culture through the pictures we share

Regardless of any perceived dangers of the impending “digital disorder” brought about by the relentless stream of information clogging our e-mail boxes and computer hard drives, digital photography, blogging and the Internet are empowering us to become cultural agents of change in society.

Although the ocean of images and information now lapping at our consciousness may appear to be miles wide and only an inch deep, something much more significant is taking place. At some point, after we have moved beyond the self-infatuation stage that comes with communication in a digital age, we will come to understand that the images and words we create and share with one another are actually reshaping and redefining the very fabric of our culture.

For instance, blogging, which for some people has taken on a prerogative meaning, can actually be effective in creating group cohesion and identity. 

Recently, I created a blog about the university I teach at which has become not only a creative outlet for my photography, but also as a way of  exploring our campus culture. What I am discovering through the blog is just how rich and diverse our campus is.As a daily practice, I make images of teachers, students, athletes, activists, workers, administrators, and visitors doing the things that define who they are. In a little over a month, what has emerged from the blog has contributed to a much greater and richer understanding of our campus culture.  Pictures become like the second hand on a clock, each image is the tick of seconds representing specific moments in time that accumulate as collective experiences.

As time moves forward, the images placed before us become reminders of where we have been and what we have done. In a sense, the images on a blog can point toward the present and the future by chronicling the near past.

As a teacher, writer, researcher, and photographer, I have always found the immediacy of blogging to be an effective forum in which to build community, model practices, and reach out to students. The process of connecting one to the many begins in earnest with humanizing and celebrating life.

Pictures can bring humanity, with all its hubris and humility, into sharper focus.  How we think about humanity is essential to blogging.  Deeply moved by the work of Paulo Freire, I find blogging to embody the idea of praxis through action and reflection.  In discovering the campus in new ways through the blog, I am transformed through the act of meeting people, taking pictures, and then reflecting on what all of this may mean.

I have come to learn to measure time in pictures and blog posts. Each day represents a campus occurrence or a chance meeting with a student or teacher.  As days go by, I begin to understand how life on campus is connected through shared the hopes, dreams, aspirations, and expectations we all share. The pictures I make tell different stories. Sometimes the story shows the enthusiasm of an instructor sharing their knowledge with students on the steps of a building, while at other times the story may be about exploring a sense of place on campus, an individual’s athletic success, or the sorrow of the community after the death of a student. All of these experiences shape who we are. The images express traditions and values, but they are also helping to define our common culture.