Popular Culture

 

Snapshot Versions of Life
Richard Chalfen

Popular Press

“An important contribution not just to the study of American culture but to the development of research on media use and social interaction.”—Michael Griffin, Journal of Communication

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.

Richard Chalfen is professor emeritus of anthropology at Temple University and past president of the Society of Visual Anthropology. He is senior scientist at the Center in Media and Child Health at Children's Hospital Boston/Harvard Medical School. His publications include Turning Leaves and many widely cited articles.

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The cover of Chalfen's book is a blue-toned collage of photos.

LC: 87-070258 TR
222 pp. 6 x 9
ISBN: 978-0-87972-388-0
Paper $19.95 t

(ISBN: 978-0-87972-387-3
Cloth is out of print)



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