camera

The blog we looked at about the guy who found a camera in the woods presents what I call an "undefined narrative." We know neither the narrator, or even the implied and actual narratee, which fascinates me. The breadth of possibility within the discourse widens without these two aspects, as does the story. Where the pictures are unclear, the imagination can create both the plot and discourse. This was the most enjoyable aspect of looking through the pictures, both in class and on my own. The figures found in some of the pictures lend themselves to generating interest in the meaning, otherwise they would become a predictable, even boring plot for most folks. Even then, the fog, blurry shots, and camera angles are peculiar.

Several questions have been sticking in my head as to the meaning of actual narrative. Can a random collection of images, not held together by a text, become a story? What if the pictures in this camera were taken by several different people, or what if the same person took the pictures at completely different time periods? How does that form a narrative, and what are the implications for us as viewers/readers/interpreters?  read more »

I found the "camera in the woods" series to be entertaining. Operating under the assumption that the photos were already on the camera when the blogger "found" it, my guess is that the zombie that appears throughout the images somehow attacked the original owner. From the silhouette in the tress to the glowing eyes to the reflection in the mirror, the artist does a pretty nice job of inserting the creature in a semi-sublte fashion. His use of the blur effect seems to refer to the shake-and-spin motion in scary movies such as the Blair Witch Project. The darkness and fog create an aura of mystery, while the photographer's point of view for the building makes it ominous and looming. Though the deception may be obvious at times, the series as a whole functions pretty well--for some trickster's holiday.

I just finished looking at the "camera in the woods" thread on the random forum, and I agree with most of the comments there. Even before I read that person's post, the first thing that came to my mind when I looked at them was "gee, these look like they're out of one of the MYST games." The pictures, while (perhaps?)limited in their storytelling ability as of themselves, when strung together might be fashioned into a narrative of some sort or, as one of the forum members said, used as raw materials for development of a game of some sort. In any case, I found the pictures to evoke a strong sense of immersion when looking at them - probably from the dynamic poses from which the photos were shot. Each image had a rather comprehensive view of the surrounding atmosphere, views that, like in MYST, seem to transport you to the world which they depict (though perhaps not as literally as in MYST itself with the linking-books). In any case, I feel that, if these images were paired with a story of some sort, they would greatly help the reader to transport his/her mind to the world and within the events taking place there.  read more »