"Photography Changes Everything" Post-Reading Response

In 250 – 300 words, examine and respond to the text. Some questions to consider when writing the response: Do you agree or disagree with the author? What is the purpose of the text? What realizations did you make after reading the text? Responses should NOT simply summarize the content of the reading. All reading responses should be posted to your blog.

1. Agree or disagree with the author?

I found myself intrigued by many of the author’s ideas, and  I agreed with him in regards to the myriad ways that photography influences and affects our lives. I think it is important for people to look at the bigger purpose of photography in society today, and not just see it as a means of art. Photography goes beyond simply looking at pretty picture - it’s able to reveal minute details, record memories, and cause people to think about their actions and desires. After reading this text and about the general categories that Heiferman suggested, I was able to imagine different instances in my life that involved each type of the six types of change. Being able to personally see how the author’s ideas played a part in my life made me realize how much photography really does influence our lives and how we think and behave.

2. What is the purpose of the text?

I believe Heiferman’s intention in this text was to show people the all-encompassing nature of photography and how many different roles it plays in our lives today, both in an introspective, reflective sense and in terms of utility. He points out how common the use of photography has become in our everyday lives, and encourages us to recognize the potential of photographs beyond that of art and beauty, such as a means of communication, motivation, self-realization, and other functional uses, as photographs make it possible to capture details that the human eye would neither catch nor be able to see on its own.

3. What realizations did you make after reading the text?

I never really stopped to consider what defines a photograph until reading this text. In my opinion, a photograph doesn’t exactly have to be a physical object. I have plenty of images in my mind that I consider “pictures,” even though I can’t actually hold them in my hands. Photography is such a diverse field that I don’t think it has any limits to what it includes; it seems like more of a concept than a concrete subject. I think it can include both physical and mental images. As Heiferman suggested, photographs change what we want, who we are, what we do, and where we go (among other things), and I think that we can motivate ourselves both through viewing photographs that are physically in front of us, as well as through photographs concocted by our imagination.