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2. Side Note: I got grounded because I was taking too many selfies on the sideline and I cost my team the game. My Dad said that I was a bit too self-absorbed.

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4. “Oh man, I must be having a nightmare. My iPhone is talking to me!”

5. Photogravure, 1826 – Entry #1 I think that I’m going insane or perhaps I am dreaming, but my iPhone is forcing me to travel back in time in order to appreciate all of the technologies that made photojournalism possible. Today, my iPhone brought me back to look at Photogravure. Photogravure is interesting because it does not need a darkroom because “a photographer’s negative is transferred onto a copper plate, which is used to print or engrave the image with ink” (Gaffney, PBS). It’s cool to me that people no longer needed to wait for a photo to develop, but I bet that the copper plates were super expensive and that the common photographer could not partake in this process (Gaffney, PBS).. On the other hand, I bet the photogravure process would allow photographers to mass produce their images – similar to what the printing press did for text (Gaffney, PBS). iPhone brought me back to when Alfred Stieglitz was shooting The Terminal so that I could understand the process better. To me, the image looks dark and distorted a bit – it’s not as clear as a picture that I could take today. However, having the ability to mass produce images is crucial, so I’ll give some “props” to the photogravure process.

6. Rotogravure, 1890’s - Entry #2 I began to think that iPhone was losing his mind because he said he was going to take me to look at Rotogravure. I argued with him that we had just seen Rotogravure, but I was quick to realize that it was Photogravure he had shown me. Rotogravure is similar to photogravure in that it was (and still is) used to mass produce photographs (Getty, Photgravure). The process seems a tad bit complex, but it is simply a “system of printing based on the transfer of fluid ink from depressions in a printing plate to the paper” (Britannica). Furthermore, not only can the photogravure process mass produce normal photographs that one might find in “magazines and books,” but it can also print on “labels and wrappers on cellophane and similar materials” (Britannica). iPhone even tells me that the process is used to create stamps. That’s pretty sweet, I’d love to get a stamp of myself unless of course the Post Office goes out of business (Stamp Help). It’s awesome that a simple machine helped with the mass production of photography. [The image of the rotogravure machine was taken from here; the author is unknown].

7. Speed Graphic Camera, 1912 - Entry #3 Oh man, America sure was different during the 1930’s! Crime seemed rampant and I saw photographers crawling all over the city just waiting to snap the perfect image for headline news. iPhone taught me about a photographer named Arthur Fellig and his use of the Speed Graphic Camera. People like Fellig thrived on shooting tragic events and capturing the “bluntness” of society (Minnesota). He and his counterparts had a special affinity for murder, fires, and other crimes that would quickly gain the viewers’ attention. A speed graphic camera was perfect for this process because it was portable, lightweight, and able to take a decent picture (Minnesota, Historic, Nordell). iPhone brought me back to Fellig’sSimply Add Boiling Water photograph and man I couldn’t wait to get out of there. The fire was hot, but I couldn’t stop looking at the action. I guess I see why Fellig and his counterparts are sort of the forefathers of tabloid journalism as they only sought to grab the attention of their viewers (Minnesota, Historic). Today though, there’d be 50-100 people taking pictures of the fire and uploading them to their Twitters or Instagrams, but I have respect for the guys who ventured around the city, set up their cameras, and grabbed some action shots.

8. Contact Sheets, 1920’s – Entry #4 As we continued our journey, iPhone asked me why I told the camera button down and take 15-20 quick photos at once and then let him decide what photo is the best. I thought about it for second and I told iPhone that he’s a computer and thus can make better choices than me. He laughed and insisted that he would show me how photographers picked their best photos. iPhone explained to me that photographers had been using an item called a contact sheet since the “advent of 35mm cameras in the late 1920” (Contact, Nordell). A photographer would simply shoot a bunch of photos and then pick the best one. iPhone showed me a couple of different contact sheets, but “Tsunami in Indonesia” by Stephen Dupont stood out to me the most. I looked through the contact sheet and I was able to feel the pain and suffering of those impacted by the Tsunami. I struggled, however, with deciding what the best image was. I liked the one that was selected, but I thought that maybe two or three other photos would have been better. Contact sheets are useful because they require that a photographer reflect on his work and they also store history. I can look through various photos in my iPhone, but I don’t always know when I took them or what the subject was.

9. SLR Cameras, 1930’s – Entry #5 I found contact sheets pretty cool, so I couldn’t wait to see what was next. iPhone tossed a large, heavy camera at me, and said it was time that I learned about SLR Cameras. I had no idea what SLR stood for and he explained that it meant Single-Lens Reflex Camera (GSU). I told him that I thought the camera was big and heavy and he explained to me how this camera revolutionized the photography world. He explained to me that there were lights, and mirrors, and prisms within the camera that allowed the viewer to see the exact photo he was going to take (SLR). He also told me that this camera had interchangeable lenses, so that you were guaranteed to get the right shot (GSU).iPhone showed me a picture by Alan Weiner entitled “Sky Walker” depicting a tightrope walker walking between the twin towers in NY. I found it impressive how close the photographer was able to zoom in to catch such a tremendous event. On the other hand, I thought it was kind of lame that it used 35mm film, but hey what can you do. I can see what the photo will look like with my iPhone camera, but sometimes I wish that I could zoom in a little more to get a better shot.

10. Polaroid Camera, 1948 - Entry #6 My dad always says, “You kids today, you have no patience, and you insist upon instant gratification.” I sort of understood what he meant, but iPhone thought it would be a good idea for me to check out the Polaroid Camera in order to really understand the concept. iPhone explained to me that Polaroid was the first major company to create a camera that could take a photograph and produce the image almost instantly (Polaroid). Although Polaroid came out in 1948, it wasn’t until 1972 that they introduced “the SX-70 – a fully-automatic, motorized, folding, single lens reflex, which ejects self-developing, self-timing color prints” (Polaroid). From that point forward, anyone could take a picture and print it almost instantly. iPhone thought it would be a good idea to show me a photograph entitled “Don + Christopher Los Angeles 6th” by David Hockney, so that I could truly appreciate the beauty of a Polaroid image. I thought it was cool that the photographer combined different Polaroid images in order to create a larger scene. I have an app in my iPhone that can make an image look all tiled like that, but I’m sure he appreciated his work more than I do mine as he had to spend time putting it together. Overall, I find it interesting that the Polaroid paved the way for instantaneous photography.

11. Wireless Transmitters, 1990’s - Entry #7 As we ventured onward, I noticed that iPhone’s battery was beginning to die, so I decided it was a good idea to put him into Airplane mode and shut off the WiFi. I explained to iPhone that I hated turning off my WiFi because I wouldn’t get SnapChats or be able to Facetime with my buddies, but he simply rolled his eyes at me. iPhone explained to me that wireless technology is fairly new and that it wasn’t really used in the photography world until the 1990’s. I was astonished and wanted to know more. iPhone told me how people used to use carrier pigeons as a means of sending information to each other and that the process of wireless transmission was long and hard (Nordell). Transmitters were first introduced in the 70’s and they could take upward of an hour to send a colored-photo via a telephone line (Wilkins).However, between 1994 and 1996, digital photography really exploded and photographers were able to use wireless transmitters in order to send their images to their editors (Wilkins). The wireless transmitter seems like a solid invention for a couple of reasons. One, a photographer could continuously shoot images without the fear of losing his work. Two, a photographer could send his images instantly to his editor for publication, which would allow the public to view the image sooner. It seems to me that things are getting more advanced as we continue forward. [The digital transmitter image is from Amazon and the pigeon is from Baron Services; authors of the images are unknown].

12. iPhone, 2007 – Entry #8 It got kind of strange when iPhone introduced me to the invention of the iPhone. The first iPhone was introduced with a 2-megapixel camera and thus the image quality was fairly low (Tchebotarev). However, as time progressed the iPhone changed as well and now carries an 8-megapixel camera that is almost the equivalent of “carrying around…33 pounds…of equipment” (Tchebotarev). In fact, many professional photographers use the iPhone instead of their DSLR cameras on a daily basis (Tchebotarev). Furthermore, the iPhone has made it easy to instantly take and share photos. For example, during Hurricane Sandy Time Magazine used iPhones and Instagram to cover the disaster in order to present the information to their audience quicker (Nordell, Time Magazine). Some of the photographs were taken by professionals while others were done by amateurs. iPhone showed me a picture entitled “Hurricane Sandy” by Ed Kashi. Finally, the iPhone has had a huge impact of photojournalism because now anyone can be a photographer and share their work with the world. The iPhone is like 100 years of photographic technology rolled into a tiny device.

13. Instagram, 2010 – Entry #9 Since I seemed so interested in the evolution of the iPhone, iPhone decided he would take me to Instagram. I thought that I was all tech savvy until we reached the website and I realized that I didn’t have my own account! Basically, “’Instagram’” the photo-sharing application, recently bought by Facebook, allows participants to shoot, edit and share photos with users of the application through the personal world of each one of us” (Prives). Instagram allows the average person to grab their cell phone, take pictures of their lives, and share their photos with the world (Prives). As I saw with the iPhone, Instagram can be used to document disasters such as Hurricane Sandy or it could be used to document your 10 mile bike ride through Acadia (Nordell, Time Magazine). Either way, Instagram ensures that history is always being documented and that future generations will be able to see what life was like during this time period. Instagram allows everyone to enter into photojournalism and perhaps inspires them to try new things. For example, iPhone showed me a picture entitled “Mayfair” by @seamusobrien and it makes me want to ride that roller coaster and explore the world.

14. Google Glass, 2013 – Entry #10 iPhone didn’t seem too thrilled to bring me to the next technology called Google Glass. I’m not sure why iPhone wasn’t a big fan, but I’m going to roll with it. Google Glass is a new product that is in beta-testing mode. They are eye glasses that contain a camera, a microphone, and Android applications (Tribeca). They seem cool to me because you can instantly take a picture of someone or something without really using any action. I mean I guess it’s kind of scary because someone could be taking a picture of you without you knowing, but that probably happens nowadays as well. The other interesting thing about Google Glass is that it will allow people to shoot more realistic narrative documentaries because people can literally shoot with they see (Tribeca). It’s crazy to think about, but maybe someday we will have cameras built into us that can document the world as it passes us by. [Google Glass image was taken from here; author is unknown].

15. Self/Front Facing Camera, 2013 – Entry #11 Oh man, I can’t believe the iPhone brought me to the selfie. Since this is the whole reason I got in to trouble anyway, I guess I’ll take a stab at how this changed photography. The selfie and the front-facing camera allow you to document action while you’re in it. For example, I can show myself at a baseball game with my friends or I could show myself standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. I don’t need anyone to take the photo of me. I even have a self-timer on my iPhone that helps me capture the image at exactly the right time. I can totally capture myself as part of history by using my front-facing camera to take a selfie! Although, I think that I should be a little less egotistical and perhaps focus on the world around me.

16. “Wow, I had like the craziest dream!”

17. “I wonder if my dream was real or not… eh, either way, I think that I will use photography more responsible now that I have seen all of the phases it has been through!”