Vernacular photography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vernacular photography refers to the creation of photographs by amateur or unknown photographers who take everyday life and common things as subjects. Examples of vernacular photographs include travel and vacation photos, family snapshots, photos of friends, class portraits, identification photographs, and photobooth images. Vernacular photographs are a type of accidental art. The photos taken by the common person that have uncommon qualities to them.
Closely related to vernacular photography is "found photography," which in on one sense refers to the recovery of a "lost" or unclaimed or discarded vernacular photograph. Found photos can be "found" at flea markets, thrift stores, yard sales, estate sales, in dumpsters and trash cans, between the pages of books or on sidewalks.
Also, the use of vernacular photography in the arts is almost as old as photography itself. Vernacular photography has become far more commonplace in recent years as an art technique and is now a widely accepted genre of art photography. Artists who have made extensive use of vernacular photography in their work include Stephen Bull, Dick Jewell, Patrick McCoy, and Joachim Schmid.
Vernacular photographs also have become popular with art collectors and for collectors of found photographs.
See also: Snapshot (photography); Snapshot aesthetic
[edit] External links
- Bighappyfunhouse: Found Photos - Free Pie
- Look at Me: A Collection of Found Photos
- Accidental Mysteries Collection of John and Teenuh Foster
- Boston University Vernacular Reframed: An exhibition and conference on vernacular photography
- Boston University In the Vernacular: Everyday Photographs from the Rodger Kingston Collection
- Square America
- Ampersand Vintage
