Photographic Memories
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Humans may all be growing older but they dont all agree on what this means. This picture represents the old the new, knowledge, reflection, insight wisdom, and cleverness. Over a lifetime everybody changes inwardly as well as outwardly. Passion and expertise come to life through photography. Photography exits as an away to create memories and a reality that will otherwise exist. The photograph I chose to analyze was named Josie and John Adams. It was taken by Chris Johns b. Medford, in 1986. The photo was of two elderly people watching television in an old fashioned car that had been sitting in a junkyard. One might see this picture and feel like they need help and should not be hanging out in junkyards. Yet to me something else comes to mind. When I saw the picture. I felt joy because I was seeing to elderly people enjoy the company of each other. They reminded me of children and how innocent they are.
Im not sure what the artist had in mind when he took this picture. But it is a really powerful picture. Instead of people being bitter because of old age. These two people are making the most of it. The artist might have wanted the audience to realize that there is a definite happiness when growing older. These two people are laughing and seem like they are not only enjoying each others company, but are having fun doing so in the process. Also it shows how friends can be life long. It seems like they have known each other for quite some time. Going back to the innocence, one can say that children and the elderly might have some similar attributes. If the photograph were to have two young people watching television in an old fashioned car in a junkyard, it might affect the audience the same as affect as two elderly people, in the original photograph. The two elderly people depicted in this photograph are free spirits just like children are. To our subconscious a person might feel that having a car in the photograph can symbolize power and speed. Just like an energetic child. But in this photograph, the car seems not to be able to move at all. And what was once powerful is now useless. Maybe that is why the artist decided to incorporate an old car in a junkyard to symbolize that not everything lasts, and things/people get old. Yet one can still use that thing whether its running or not. One must make the most of what they are left with. And I see that in this photograph that was taken in 1986.
Through some insights (my mother) I found out that in 1986 Fuji introduced the first disposable camera. Could a disposable camera have taken this photograph? Could the artist have set up this picture or was this really two people actually keeping each others company.