Family Photography and Visual Anthropology

 

Visual anthropology has been something that I have been seemingly searching for throughout my academic studies. This course has brought this realm of anthropology to my attention and has widely defined it, inspiring me to pursue my passions of culture and art. Throughout the course of the semester, we have had many assignments that have helped connect what we are learning to real life examples. I enjoyed every assignment for a multitude of reasons although “10 Photographs, the Human Project” was especially intriguing to me as it outlined what I value to be important in my life. This was expressed through ten photographs in which I chose for different reasons as they reflect snippets of home life, help reveal those people who have been influential to me, and describe the environments that developed who I am as a person. Overall, this project highlighted key concepts from Karen Strassler’s book, Refracted Visions: Popular Photography and National Modernity in Java. In short, I was able to express what my thoughts of what terms like “home” and “nationhood” mean to me while using visual documentation to express myself. This semester has been an absolute pleasure and I now leave feeling more confident in my newfound passions within visual anthropology. Thank you! 

 

Photograph No. 1, 2, 3 

This set of photographs signify where I come from. 

First, my hometown is small town in Northwest Indiana. Whiting, Indiana will always hold a special place in my heart as it locally contributes to the environment in which I was raised. 

 

This area has a diverse range of peoples living in it. We are known as being “the little city on the lake”. Which also leads into the joy I received from growing up here. From standing upon the edge of the lake, you can see the Chicago skyline. We are also known for the Pierogi Festival, which brings in many people from all over the country. It was also common that many people from Chicago would cross over to enjoy the festivities. P a g e | 9 

 

Whilst growing up, this felt like miles upon miles away. Now, I have come to realize we truly are just about 20 miles away from downtown Chicago, somewhere I also recognize for providing a strong sense of culture to my early development.  While Whiting has been my primary sense of location during my core development, I think it is important to note that I have had strong influences from other locations. 

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One location I hold particularly strong in my developmental influences is that of Hillside, Illinois. My maternal grandparents were born and raised here and in return, built their home and family here.  Fond memories throughout my childhood consisted of traveling to Illinois every weekend with my mom and siblings. Later, I found myself spending more time throughout the summers independently in older age to visit my grandparents. This location signifies all that I have learned and attributed to my success from my time there. Hillside, Illinois is also a location of diversity, yet still a very different sense. Geographically, I find the relative distance to O’Hare Airport is significant. I worked at Starbucks in Hillside, Illinois for three years and I grew to gain a sense of community. This was very different than anything else because my community was made up of peoples from all over the world. Many foreigners grew to call this town home and in return, I learned a lot about others and their cultures through storytelling.  Overall, I conclude that I do not consider quantity of time spent in an environment, I value quality of time spent. Both locations have had a vast amount of influence in my life amidst the demographic differences I can recognize. 

 

This set of photographs serve as how I value family in my life. In anthropology, I learn how family can come in many forms. While these pictures show a comparison of time with my biological family, there are also many other people in my life who I am thankful enough to consider family. For example, in class discussion, I additionally showed pictures of my best friend and her family and how they have welcomed me into their home which also contributes to my diversity. 

 

I also value generations. Seeing how these pictures range in age is significant and then also seeing how the next photo has the inclusion of my mom and grandma. This shows three generations of my bloodline. Overall, family is sentimental for many reasons and I am thankful to have learned so much from them and have experienced an abundance with them. 

 

Photograph No. 6 

This photograph speaks volumes to me. In frame is my maternal grandfather. The fact that I include this picture shows that his influence in my life has been very strong. Ogden C. Kilgore is who I am inspired to be like. With many responsibilities in his life, he continued to be the best at anything he did. He was always working for other people and aimed to bring happiness to people in any way he could. Similarly, I have been told that people sense his dedication throughout my passions and work. He had worked as the head manager of Sears in the customer service department for many years, along with working as a journalist and reporter of the Chicago Times. My grandpa is also the direct source of where I receive my passions for photography and videography. I am extremely fortunate to have been so close to him and I contribute my optimism and work ethic to manifest from his encouragement.