This segment, Camera/Phone, is dedicated to the dialogue surrounding the evolution, controversy and significance of cell phones in relationship to photography. B.F.A photography student Tyler McClelland confesses her love for all things social media and its relationship to photography.
“I absolutely love snapchat… and instagram. Although I hate to admit it, I too have climbed onto the ‘insta-story’ bandwagon (they got me with the glorious glowing marker tool and that dang boomerang feature). Don’t get me wrong, on more occasions than one, I have cleansed myself of all social media with its over saturation of the fabricated
lifestyle imageslie that convince us that the lives of others are perpetually aesthetically flawless and are being lived in NYC apartments curated to perfection. Sometimes I need a moment to simply see my life, with all my messy room and mismatch sock glory, and know that I am still living, even when no one online knows about the latte I had at that hipster coffee house in Atlanta. My borderline emotionally abusive love-hate relationship with social media may seem contradictory to my romantic love for fine art and documentary photography. I do believe in the need for the sensitivity of the artists hand and the technical skills acquired from years of experience with different photo gear. But my iPhone feels more like a 8 mm film home video camera like the one my grandfather used in the 1940s. Snapchat and insta-story are 21st century versions of vernacular photography that allows for everyday people to capture everyday happenings on the fly for personal pleasure and a small, intimate audience. I thoroughly enjoy visually narrating my day and DPing snippets and moments with family and friends. There is always room in the photography world for vernacular photography. The digital age has made that time now for camera-phone photography, and I am so cool with snuggling up in that contemporary, creative space.”
