I like to consider the photograph as an instant sketch of life. When photographing using high contrast black and white and a small JPEG file I find it to be the simplest solution to making images. Perhaps this is the most secure, future proof solution to making photographs.
The photograph is the new cave painting
Humans have been leaving behind images that depict their experience since the dawn of time. Photography is no different. Photographers use a camera and light on surface to draw from life itself. Future generations hopefully look back at our photographs and read them as we discovered the paintings people left behind in ancient caves.
Street Photography is the root of the medium
The first photograph ever made, “View from the Window at Le Gras” by French inventor Nicéphore Niépce in 1826 is the oldest surviving photograph. From his home’s window in Saint-Loup-de-Varennes, France, we have a view of the road and the countryside. I believe this can be interpreted as a street photograph and is the earliest depiction of life through the use of a camera. Most of the earliest photographs were made on the streets as this was the most accessible places to practice photography.
The accessibility of photography
I believe the power of photography is it’s accessibility. Everybody has cameras in their pockets nowadays and possesses the ability to document their lives. Every unique experience, every moment, every place, every thing can be photographed and shared by all. The camera is a powerful tool to wield. The photographs become a collective consciousness of the human experience. The photographs we create we can uplift humanity and champion mankind through observing life and creating instant sketches that depict how we live.
