On Pretty Much Pop, a philosopher, an actor, and a sci-fi writer (often with entertainment industry guests) talk about media and how we consume it: TV, film, music, novels, games, comics, comedy, theater, podcasts, and more. Most of what (other) people like is pretty weird when you think about it, so thinking about it is what we do.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:47 — 45.9MB)
Amir the photographic artist and UC-Riverside prof joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to consider this common act that can stretch from the mundane to the sublime. How have our various purposes for photography changed with the advent of digital technology, the introduction of social media, and the ready access to video? What determines what we choose to take pictures of, and how does taking photography more seriously change the way we experience? We touch on iconic and idealized images, capturing the specific vs. the universal, witnessing vs. intervening via photography, and more.
See Amir’s work at amirzaki.net. His recent book is California Concrete: A Landscape of Skateparks, which was the subject of a short film. Follow him on Instagram @amir_zaki_.
A few of the articles we looked at to prepare included:
- “Photography as Popular Culture” by Jonathan Green
- “Introduction to Photography: The Universal Language” by Spencer Cox
- “Amateur Vs. Pro: How Differently The Same ‘Ugly’ Location Looks When You Become A Professional Photographer” by Phillip Haumesser
- “15 Legendary Photographers You Should Know” by Marky Ramone Go
- “35 Powerful Photos that Tell a Story” from JotForm
- “WWII’s Most Iconic Kiss Wasn’t Romantic — It Was Terrifying” by Brooke L. Blower
- “You’ll Never See the Iconic Photo of the ‘Afghan Girl’ the Same Way Again” by Ribhu
This episode includes bonus discussion that you can hear now by supporting the podcast at patreon.com/prettymuchpop. This podcast is part of the Partially Examined Life podcast network and is curated by openculture.com. Hear Amir’s appearance on The Partially Examined Life.
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