The first chapter is an introduction to the whole book. The book is more contemplative and philosophical than the Stephen Shore’s book because it talks about viewing photograph beyond the photograph itself. As indicated in the introduction, the book not only talks about art photography but also a variety of topics related to photography, like fashion photography, photography in history, photography in social media… and I’m very looking forward to learning each part.
The subject is no longer the focus of photography, as the world changes, photographs have been granted various meanings and purposes. Rexer suggests that, now than ever, photographers need to understand the audiences. What is being told is less important than choosing the right message to the right group of people. Although I can’t agree in one hundred percent that we need to pick a specific group of audiences before creating, photos are open to anyone to see it if they want and sometimes photos are merely used by and about the photographer rather than questioning social issues. Also, that does not mean it's unnecessary to think about the audiences. It's good to keep that in mind and continue questioning different opinions.
Another side of learning "who is looking" is that it can let photographers stand from a viewer’s perspective. Knowing how to look at a photograph would also tell me how to make a powerful photo.
The subject is no longer the focus of photography, as the world changes, photographs have been granted various meanings and purposes. Rexer suggests that, now than ever, photographers need to understand the audiences. What is being told is less important than choosing the right message to the right group of people. Although I can’t agree in one hundred percent that we need to pick a specific group of audiences before creating, photos are open to anyone to see it if they want and sometimes photos are merely used by and about the photographer rather than questioning social issues. Also, that does not mean it's unnecessary to think about the audiences. It's good to keep that in mind and continue questioning different opinions.
Another side of learning "who is looking" is that it can let photographers stand from a viewer’s perspective. Knowing how to look at a photograph would also tell me how to make a powerful photo.
I love that you chose to include the comparison to Steven Shore's book because it is so much more than just the the subject of the image, but the purposeful decisions the artist makes. I completely agree that thinking about these decisions can positively impact the process of creating your own photos.
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