Snapshot Versions of Life

by Richard Chalfen

Snapshot Versions of Life is an important foray into the culture of photography and home life from an anthropologist’s perspective. Examining what he calls “Home Mode” photography, Richard Chalfen explores snapshots, slide shows, family albums, home movies, and home videos, uncovering what people do with their photos as well as what their personal photos do for them.
    Chalfen’s “Polaroid People” are recognizable—if ironically viewed—relatives, uncles, aunts, and All-American kids. As members of “Kodak Culture” they watch home movies, take pictures of newborn babies, and even, in their darker moments, scratch out the faces of disliked relatives in group photographs. He examines who shoots these photos and why, as well as how they think (or don’t) of planning, editing, and exhibiting their shots. Chalfen’s analysis reveals the culturally structured behavior underlying seemingly spontaneous photographic activities. 

Genres: Photography, Sociology

222 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 1987

Reviews

[Thalia Soul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book in order to write a paper. Although I didn't need to read the entire work I decided to finish it since I really enjoyed it. It is written in an easy-going and understandable way. The author used a lot of quotations and examples to illustrate his statements. The only thing I didn't like was that Chalfen emphasised and stressed a lot of facts which seem superficial to me (e.g. he stated that pictures and home movies are mainly made of happy moments but not sad ones so that people themselves are purposly leaving out parts of reality and by this produce a 'false' image of reality, an ideological one). But considering that this book was first published in 1987, when private photography and movie making just started to become a trend, I wouldn't judge his work based on 'outdated' claims - they were very up to date and innovative once.
For my research I found that Chalfen's book delivered an easy to use literature source for basic statements such as in what situations cameras are used, who is filmed/photographed and why, ...

[Myles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating way in which we document contrived realities.