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First, I must apologize for flitting from point to point in the
following. This is an immensely interesting discussion, and the
topics presented here warrant far more reflection than I am able to
present at the moment.<br>
<br>
Martha, you asked whether there is a gain or a loss in digitizing an
image and removing it from its original context. My own view is
that, for the photograph itself, it is both, and thereby remains
unchanged. A photo unseen in archives is also unremembered, and its
new context in the digital realm (as isolated as it may be) at least
imbues it with some new purpose. The gains and losses are seen more
by those interacting with the photograph: to the researcher wanting
access to images for their own personal interest (and building their own
relationship with the image), it is undoubtedly a gain; to those of us
who appreciate and focus on the interrelationship between photographs and
their origins, or photographs and their relationships with other records,
this seems more of a loss. <br>
<br>
Catherine's comments and questions also brought a few ideas to
mind. With regards to the consideration of the socially-encoded
aspects of photography and the possibilities for narrative, I think we do
need to step back and watch how photographs are being used. The
photograph is just as important to the genealogist searching for a simple
image of their great-great uncle as it is to the researcher looking for
evidence of a sibling rivalry, which may break new ground in a
biography. We, as archivists, may be more drawn to the latter
discovery for complexity of narrative, but it ignores the real excitement
evident in both researchers.<br>
<br>
My thoughts travelled to the idea of narrative lost as a result of
decisions made by the photographer in composition. I would like to
present the example (with pictures, if I may - please e-mail me if you
cannot view them) of a studio photographer who conducted sittings of
students and families. The final product presented to the family
(Image 1) would have been a print or set of prints, cropped, dodged and
otherwise altered from the original negative as portraits and
professional photographs tend to be. Certainly the photograph would
possess a different sentiment to the family, as memento of milestones in
their child's life. The negative (Image 2), however, reveals more
than simply a portrait of the child, as the father stands watchfully and
smiling at his son, holding him on the table to keep him from
falling. The notion that there is more truth that lies beyond the
photograph is indeed apt, and can even be partially revealed in other
iterations of that one occasion. <br><br>
Thank you all once again for a fascinating discussion.<br><br>
Jeremy<br>
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Jeremy Heil<br>
Technical Services Archivist<br><br>
Queen's University Archives<br>
Kathleen Ryan Hall<br>
Queen's University<br>
Kingston, ON K7L 3N6<br><br>
Tel: <x-tab> </x-tab>613-533-6000 ext. 74462<br>
Fax: <x-tab> </x-tab>613-533-6403<br>
<a href="http://archives.queensu.ca/" eudora="autourl">
heilj@queensu.ca<br>
</a><a href="http://archives.queensu.ca/" eudora="autourl">
http://archives.queensu.ca</a> </body>
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