WV12 My fave photographer talks about his best shots from 2024; AI eroding our critical thinking; and two photo books to grab if you can
2025 Reading Log Edition 01 Jan. 24-31
01
In which one of my favourite current street photographers takes us through his photographic thought process.
”In this blog I will share some of my photography highlights from 2024. Instead of the usual self serving recap nonsense though, I will share the behind the scenes from each shot. I hope this will help you understand the photos more and more importantly learn from them.” -Roman Fox
My Best Photos From 2024 Explained
https://www.snapsbyfox.com/blog/my-best-photos-from-2024-explained
02
The more dependent on generative AI I’m getting, the more I want to go analogue…in as many ways as possible.
“As we increasingly offload cognitive tasks to artificial intelligence, researchers are concerned that our critical thinking skills will atrophy. A recent study finds exactly that: Participants who reported higher use of AI scored worse on measures of critical thinking. In an interview with Big Think, study author Dr. Michael Gerlich suggested that AI isn’t inherently bad for our cognitive abilities — like any tool, it needs to be used correctly.”
Is A.I. eroding our critical thinking abilities?
https://bigthink.com/thinking/artificial-intelligence-critical-thinking/
03
A review of the photo book ‘Between the skin and the sea’ by Katrin Koenning at the Conscientious Photography Magazine (cphmag) is as evocative as the book itself.
“In effect, photography is most effective when it’s used to create what in the German language is called a Stimmungsbild, a term that photographically speaking does not make sense. Stimmung translates as mood or atmosphere: it’s that which photographs expressly are unable to depict.
Through combining them in such a fashion that their individual voices assemble like a choir, a collection of photographs can forcefully evoke an atmosphere in ways that rival (possibly surpass) other forms of art.”
Between the skin and the sea
https://cphmag.com/between-the-skin-and-sea/
04
Review of the photo book ‘The Hands of my Friends’ by Regina DeLuise at Lens Scratch. Wish I could grab a copy of this book, especially for the essay by Felicia McCarren “…that describes the dance between the photographer, the camera, and the subject.”
“Who, precisely, is taking, and who is giving? And what is taken; what is given?
The photographer takes–and then gives–me, in the photograph, a likeness–a piece of myself. And in so doing returns me not only that moment of my life when I stood on loggia in Fiesole or on a dune in the Sahara as the shutter closed, but also all the moments up to and after that closing which is an opening.”
Regina DeLuise: The Hands of my Friends
https://lenscratch.com/2025/01/regina-deluise-the-hands-of-my-friends/
I’m reading a lot of ‘School of Life’ app these days…literally begin my ‘reading day’ with one of their articles or videos. Remembered this beautiful (and hugely popular) couplet (and the gazal) by Ghalib as a response to one of the articles last week. It talked about how we as adults really tend to be children most of the times and how our lives would be so much bearable if only we realised that the whole world is run by these child-adults (including us). And this leads me to the:
Poem of the Week
“bāzīcha-e-atfāl hai duniyā mire aage
hotā hai shab-o-roz tamāshā mire aage”
The world is a children’s playground before me
Night and Day, this theatre is enacted before me
-Ghalib
Read the full gazal here:
https://www.aloksaini.in/dhai-aakhar/8gjztpmzbyb8e4xwmtfgwz5dd7m2zd
Thanks for taking the time. Hope you like to go through these links as much as I enjoyed reading them.
-Alok