Running head: ASU Casual Photography

APA Paper For ASU Casual Photography

Amontá Jones

Arizona State University

Running head: ASU Casual Photography

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to describe how photography ties into self-expression,

therapy, and storytelling. I went tagged along with Victor Ren on one of his photoshoots and got

a feel for what a casual photographer experiences. I found more information and interesting

stories about photography by talking with Riley who is also a casual photographer.

Keywords:Photography, Downtown ASU, Camera, Phoenix

Running head: ASU Casual Photography

APA Paper For ASU Casual Photography

Arizona State photographers are everywhere but they are hidden at the same time. You

can find them if you look in places where people are not. They capture what people see every

day and put it in their own perspective. Their incentive is not for money, good grades, or any

type of approval. It is the pure joy that is brought to them when they capture these images.

With finals just around the corner, money tight, and friends gone for the break this

creates an uncomfortable tension in a college student’s life. Arizona State has a highly

competitive rate for internships and is known for Journalism and Business. Victor, a stressed

college student turns to photography. Whenever he turns to photography Victor enters his own

oasis and finds himself in a totally different world to escape the craziness of it all. I had noticed

some of his work on social media and it made me curious why he put so much of his own life

into photography. As the years past by I had realized that almost everyone owned a camera in

some form, whether that be on a smartphone or an actual camera. I noticed the population of

cameras increased and it led me to question why photography is increasing in popularity in

today’s age.

I went to popular sites in Downtown Phoenix such as First Friday, Civic Space Park, and

South Central Avenue. I would watch the casual photographers go about their shoots. I found

two photographers that did photography for pure joy and then proceeded to ask them deeper

questions. As I was talking with Riley Trujillo she had mentioned that she became interested in

photography through her dad. Her interested in photography sparked even more when she had

received her first personal camera through a scholarship. Once she received this camera

photography was more involved in her life. Riley then brought up a few misconceptions. One of
Running head: ASU Casual Photography

misconceptions she mentions is everyone can be a photographer if they have a nice camera. That

is false because there is much more that goes into photography than having a nice camera. An

article says,​ ​“ Better gear won’t make you a better photographer. Don’t buy these things because

you’re tired of sucking and you think these will help. The only solution to that is to learn, study,

and practice taking photos. But gear can make photography more fun, and there’s definitely

value in that.” (Lee, 2018). Riley agrees with this article by saying, “ I think that pretty much

now n days like if you have nice camera (people think) anybody can be a photographer and I

think that’s like a stigma around photographers because it’s like everybody can be a

photographer if they have a nice camera which is relatively true to a extent I think because

everyone can make their pictures look good but I think there’s something unique about a style

photography or a theme within portraits at least that what I would try to accomplish with my

photography not necessarily go take pictures of my friends but rather go to like different rallies.”

(Personal Communication, 9 Oct. 2018). One of the main skill sets of a photographer is creativity

because a camera isin’t going to do it all. According to a scholarly source it says, “ Although the

camera usually limits the photographer to depicting existing objects rather than imaginary or

interpretive views, the skilled photographer can introduce creativity into the mechanical

reproduction process. The image can be modified by different lenses and filters. The type of

sensitive material used to record the image is a further control, and the contrast between

highlight and shadow can be changed by variations in development.” ( Newhall, Grundberg,

Rosenblum, Gernsheim, 2018).

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The lens and an actual (non-iPhone) camera seems to be the most needed 

object, but besides the obvious, it’s actually the editing software that plays the biggest 

role in the photography process. (​ Personal Communication, 9 Oct. 2018).​ After

researching photography I learned about the importance of flash in photography. The article,

“Darkness visible: A short history of flash photography” says, “ Flash can make plain, bring out

of obscurity, the appearance of things that may never before have been seen with such clarity.” (

Flint, 2017, pp. 44+). ​South Central Avenue and the Downtown Campus at Arizona State 

are the most popular locations for photographers and their photography. I found that 

Instagram was the most popular and efficient element for photographers and their 

photos next to their own personal website or VSCO. The most common age for 

photography is teens and young adults although people of all ages can take part in 

photography. Some common activities for casual photographers are attending rallies as 

Riley did. She told me about her experience and how she had the opportunity to take 

pictures at the rally. “Like I went to the Supreme Court and shot photos of a protest that 

people were organizing against the Muslim van when Trump was here having hearings 

at the Supreme Court, so doing things like taking photos for a reason to tell a story is 

sometimes more important than just the stigma that anyone can take photos of 

whoever.” ​(Personal Communication, 9 Oct. 2018).  

This entertained me because I always wondered how photographers adjust to rallies 

versus other aspects of photography. Some of these other aspects of photography 

include a popular local event called First Friday. First Friday is an event in Downtown 

Phoenix where the whole city comes together on the first Friday of each month to 
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embrace the diversity of the city and community. A lot of casual photographers thrive 

off of events like this. Photographers are also driven by their friends. Photoshoots are 

becoming more popular and invites the photographer of the group into situations that 

allows them to make their friends feel and look good. Along those lines golden hour has 

a similar effect. Golden hour appears right before or after the sun sets where the light 

becomes more red and soft.(​Personal Communication, 9 Oct. 2018).  

This is considered the best time for photographers. I have noticed a majority of my 

peers take advantage of golden hour on Snapchat.   

My results prove that casual photography brings a genuine happiness to the 

people taking the pictures. It also proves that a lot of people have cameras but aren't 

necessarily a photographer and that the purpose of photography is really to capture a 

point in time that you would like to remember or to give a certain situation different 

perspective. Their central values are keeping and recording memories, central Intrest is 

capturing a place in time at a certain angle and giving off a certain perspective, and 

central obstacle is Time, Money, and skill. This is important because photography has 

become such a necessity in today’s digital age. With Snapchat,  

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter becoming visually dominate, everywhere you look you 

see some sort of photography. A picture can tell a story a person can’t.  

People turn to photography to show things that they can’t express with words. 

Whether that be their sadness, love, or just their mood in general. I enjoyed this whole 

process and I loved hearing a different perspective of the same activity. Photography is 
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and always will be a dominant way of communication and will help people enter a world 

where they can forget about every other aspect of life.  

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References

Flint, K. (2017). Darkness visible: A short history of flash photography. ​Spectator,

​ etrieved from
44+. R

http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=Magazines&resultListType=

RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=MultiTab&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPositio

n=1&docId=GALE%7CA524738441&docType=Article&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=&p

rodId=OVIC&contentSet=GALE%7CA524738441&searchId=R3&userGroupName=asuniv&in

PS=true

Lee, J. (2018). 9 Essential Photography Gear Items Every Camera Newbie Should Own.

​ etrieved from
MakeUseOf, R

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/9-essential-gear-items-every-newbie-photographer/

Newhall, B., Grundberg, A., Rosenblum, N., Gernsheim, H. (2018). History of photography.

​ etrieved from https:// www.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, inc. R

britannica.com/technology/photography