Fred Ritchin After Photography Summary

With 80M+ photos being shared on social platforms and 3.5B+ photos being liked each and everyday on Instagram, it is a clear example that as a society we have redefined the term photography and the ways in which we use it to share everyday life as well as to explore the world around us. Photographers don’t have all the time in the world; in fact sometimes they only have a second or 100 hundredths of a second to capture a moment. They capture these photographic images in order to invoke emotion and leave an indelible impression to the viewers. Documentary photography especially captures public attention and allows us to deepen our thoughts and understanding as a society to spread awareness in the world we live in. Documentary photography focuses on one story or theme, for example photographing the “impact on health of people, particularly children, caused by the nuclear accidents…in recent decades in Eastern Europe” (Ritchin 135). Documentary photography exposes the ‘true life’ rather than a false interpretation created by mainstream …show more content…
He goes on to explain both positive and negative aspects to the digital medium rather than using analog. In chapter seven, “The Social Photograph” Ritchin strongly believes that photography is not just something you look at but instead is a piece that is more “ongoing and engaged...”(Ritchin 125). Digital formats have offered more possibilities than analog for a more engaged photography, making it possible for anyone to record and report and event without it being “too filtered, too tired, too constrained by advertising…”(Ritchin 129). Ritchin makes a few points that an open-ended environment has been created for amateur photographers, that we are in need of surprises from these photographers that share photos on social networking websites, but also makes a point that photography is being viewed as too pedestrian to be an