The reading by John Szarkowski was about the early days of photography and it's influence on, not only the art world, but the people that participated in the movement. Artists created paintings but photographers took pictures. Normal people began to come into the art world by the grace of a machine rather than their inherent talent.
Szarkowski broke up into 5 separate sections that are seen as the key points of a good photo: the thing itself, the detail, the frame, time, and vantage point. Many of the sections are self-explanatory with their titles but go quite in depth on some things which seem to be forgotten as you snap that picture. He explains the relationship between the camera's ability to take a snip of time and the "truth" that it shows us.
One section that got me thinking was about frames. We usually find the most interesting thing and focus on it. The idea of a photograph creates a relationship with everything in that frame even if there was none to begin with. The frame is a very valuable tool that can link people's lives by a simple recording of their presence together on a piece of film paper. I found that idea most new and interesting coming from a fine arts background.
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