In the past 50 years, photography has grown from an elite
and expensive profession to an accessible global phenomenon. Rapid development
thanks to the digital revolution has resulted in almost everybody in developed
countries owning or having access to some sort of photographic device. The
rapid expansion and resulting high competition within the industry has resulted
in a radpid period of development giving birth to a plethora of low cost automatic devices which can do all the previously
difficult work of a professional photographer in a single press of a button. With
this new ability to take large quantities of photos very easily with little
cost, the way we think about photography has changed, and debates have been sparked within the industry about the resultant value
of photos to the new generation. The value I am most interested in is a form of “Image Value” that measures qualities beyond technical values like resolution or
dynamic range, and instead focuses on an images longevity and sentimental value; it's capability to touch and move both it's creator and anyone else who views it.
All the work presented on this website is contributing to my final year degree major project as part of the Product & Furniture Design BA course at
De Montfort University (Leicester, UK). I started preparing for the project over a year ago now late one night whilst studying in France, and since then the entirety of my efforts were focused on studying image quality from a technical perspective by learning how to design lenses (see my diary of progress on the right hand side). However, in September 2013 I returned to De Montfort and started to research the other side of my research, not related to technicalities or engineering, but more product philosophy and meaning. I began with my over arching topic of 'Image Value' and began to explore, with the
intent of discovering how innovative product and optical designs could provide
a basis for new interpretations of the said term in order to offer new creative
opportunities within the field of photography.
At the time of writing it is December and my official (and annoyingly short, university regulations restrict my word count) study has been handed in. The following entries onto my website are shortened and slightly adapted extracts focused on some of the many topics and areas which were investigated over the last couple of months. This research, along side my technical understanding as a photographer myself and from the development of my own lens forumlas, will together form a solid research foundation for considered and
justified product development.
