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1. Why are we so obsessed with this concept of ownership? Who does it benefit to be able to “own” an unique digital code? 

2. As Sihao and others allude to, how did NFTs become an instrument of power? Are they empowering the artists, the consumers/buyers, the art realm as a whole, or something else entirely? 

3. Are NFTs only for rich people, i.e. people with enough money to “throw around” that they can spend thousands on these encrypted tokens? Are NFTs an extension of the fine arts and their historical exclusion of the lower and middle classes? 

Derek Jarmon, On Seeing Red, Chroma

The writing in this passage is expressive, with the narrator imparting a sense of familiarity and informality with how the topics jump disjointedly from one to another. I loved the passage about how painters use red like spice, detailing the various shades of red, and even the capitalization of the shades -- ALAZARIN CRIMSON, CADMIUM RED, VERMILLION -- illustrates the sort of dominant, over-empowering nature that Jarmon attributes to the color red.

My notes on Bruce Davidson from Everybody Street read: “Bruce Davidson -- empathetic, sweet guy, metro.” Indeed, his interview is deeply endearing to me. He says, “It’s [the ability to connect with his subjects] is about trying to be a human being,” and later remarks that his camera was his buddy as a young boy. I love this very soft, good-natured, empathetic side to Davidson and appreciate that he dedicated so much of his career to documenting the civil rights movement. We are lucky to have such a gentle photographer imparting such a wonderful sense of sentimentality and human connection to his work. 

Bruce Davidson. Couple Kissing on Street, London, England, 1960.

I’m not as familiar with Eugene Smith but I thoroughly enjoyed his interview. He is extremely well-spoken; this quote from him stood out to me: “Here, let me just touch upon this: photography is still young, it is not yet far enough away from its beginning. I believe that photographers-and this is not the full carcass-are intimidated by the very ease of photography, as well as by its difficulties. By its difficulties, until they have the feeling that, well, since there are so many things almost impossible to overcome, let's just sidle around them, daring nothing, and go ahead anyway, along the accepted paths-some of the biggest names do-and let us rely on its other nature, that quality of easiness.” Unsurprisingly, he shows himself to be someone who reflected often and deeply about the implications and nature of photography. 

Eugene Smith, The entrance to a section of the Chisso Chemical Plant. Minamata, Japan. 1972

I like this image for the depth, and the fact that he uses the fence to demonstrate how he as a viewer was separated from the chemical plant, and by extension, how the chemical plant is blocked from access and from view with the fence. 

Questions: 

1. What does hard work mean to a photographer? We have discussed several reputable and successful photographers who have alluded to “what it takes” to be a good photographer -- what does this mean to you?