Public Image, the Issue of Selfie, and Fashion Photography as Art

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Final Exam for History of Contemporary Photography
Question 1
Max Kozloff demonstrates an amazing journey through both time and imagery. Kozloff comes out as a critic and even asserts that he flies his “own colors as a critic” (Kozloff 11). The book focuses on portraiture as the theatrical motif chains human interactions, to the suspension of disbelief. Kozloff utilizes almost a personal essay where he narrates in a conversational voice that is literary as he penetrates in substance to illustrate the differences between the 19th and 20th centuries photography.
Kozloff illustrates that the changes in the 20th century were as a result of technology. Due to the advancement of technology, society was in a position to produce and distribute goods more efficiently which dislocated a general perception of time. The dislocation in portraiture led to an impression that individuals were living in different era although all of them were contemporaries (Kozloff 70).
In the 19th century, the issue of “public image” was not important in photography. However, the 20th century gave rise to the mass-produced “public image.” The public image was a tool for propaganda. Kozloff argues that the photo-illustrated magazines were widely distributed and consumed by the populations. As a result, it was possible for the magazines to shape public opinions on political issues. For instance, as the news of the World War II continued to become public, Kozloff believes that magazines line Vogue used photography to convey horrors and hence facilitated the spread of propaganda. On the contrary, the photo-journalists of the 19th century were more objective in their approach and did not use photography to spread rumors.
Kozloff characterizes 19th-century photography as one that focused on attractiveness rather than usefulness. However, the 20th century saw photographic media take a utilitarian approach. The earlier photo-journalists focused on the attractiveness of the images they took. There was no much use for the images during that time. However, the 20th century changes that approach and saw photo-journalists emphasizing on the usefulness of images.
Contrary to the 19th-century generation photographers, the 20th-century ones were more spontaneous. The latter utilized more spontaneous approaches which enabled them to adapt to the environment of fleeing manners and moods (Kozloff 180). On the contrary, the 19th-century photographers took images with outdated equipment which prevented them from mastering more spontaneous approaches.
Question 2
Alise Tifentale examines the issue of the selfie. She demonstrates that selfies matters in this era of cellphone cameras and photo-editing and sharing services (Tifentale 5). The article offers several reasons for the use of selfies and Instagram. Firstly, individuals post images on social media as a way of keeping themselves in the minds of others. The images convey the impression of an individual to the rest of society (Tifentale 6). Secondly, selfies are a means for some individuals to advertise themselves. Individuals behave as brands and utilize selfies to advertise the brands they have created (Tifentale 6). Through selfies, individuals can gain recognition which can give them an advantage over their competitors in the social circles. It is also an effective way of belonging to a particular community. As individuals share their images online, they fell a sense of belonging by being around others who share the same sentiments. Additionally, the availability of smartphones and the ability to share images online through platforms like Instagram has contributed to the popularity of selfies.
It is essential to appreciate that selfie is both an old and new genre of photography. An examination of selfie should be within the larger context of self-portraiture. A selfie can be viewed as a sub-genre of self-portraiture which has been enhanced by the recent technological developments (Tifentale 8). Social media platforms like Instagram have made it easier to disseminate images to a wider audience. Instagram, for instance, has made selfies different from the earlier forms of self-portraiture. The platform has made it possible to disseminate these images which were not possible with the earlier forms of self-portraiture due to the costs involved in printing images and distributing them (Tifentale 11). Hence, the ability to instantaneous distribute images via Instagram, and other social media networks have made selfie popular compared to the earlier photographic precursors.
Question 3
There have been several structural shifts that have led to the acceptance of fashion photography as art. These include:
* The autonomy of images – as Lehmann notes, today, fashion photography “does not simply depict clothes objectively as coveted products of conspicuous consumption, but rather declares the very image of the garments-translated in the photo-as constituting value.” Lehmann continues to say that in other instances, fashion photography exhibits diversity that mimics that of art. By standing out on their own and seeking to send a particular message or communicate a particular idea, images of fashion photography do indeed compare well with art.
* Gestures – Lehmann notes that in fashion photography, gestures and postures are rampan...