Imaging Identity: Amateur Photography from Kodak to the Camera Phone
Arts
Independent Study Course through a Porter Undergraduate Research Fellowship
In Imaging Identity: Amateur Photography from Kodak to the Camera Phone, I explore the role of portraiture in identity formation. Through the discussion of the progression of portraiture—from posthumous, to commemorative, to the Kodak enabled snapshot, and finally, to the selfie—I argue that portraits, despite their highly personalized subject matter, embody the technology and social trends of their time.
Kodak, by allowing individuals to capture images of their own lives, changed the way Americans remember their lives and thus, how they created and recalled narratives that ultimately helped fashion their own identities. I explain how the amateur snapshot photograph displays personal autonomy over the images in ones own life within the framework of larger photographic, technological, and cultural trends. Thus, exploring amateur photography and its influence on identity formation requires examining the guiding trends, technologies, and cultural changes that influence the way photographs have been taken and received since the first handheld amateur camera. Staring with Kodak and ending with the photographic compilations of Penelope Umbrico, I discuss how changes in imagery result in changes in identity.
