The Technological Terror

Technology obviously can instill awe in us. It can show us how incredible someone's imagination is (and their intellect too). And also how the technology can help us in so many ways.

But how many times does technology prevent us from exploring the true experience? Or make the experience better? 

Photography captures the moment. It shows us a different way of thinking about life. And technology combined with photography can enhance that experience or detract from it. 

Here are some examples of how photography has developed with technology. 

1. Google Glasses 

http://reviews.cnet.com/google-glass/

These are so cool. They pretty much project the screen in front of your eyes. Literally another lens in front of your eyes, changing your world. Like all those movies where they have the computer in front of their eyes and it's so techy and futuristic? Yeah.

Do we need a digital overlay on our life? And what would that do to our emotions? To our sense of awe? Would it diminish the experience? Or would it enhance it? And would it ever get too far? Would we all use these and never take them off because our normal living existence would become cheap?

2. UBI Camera

http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/28/ubi-camera-frames-photos-with-fingers-fails-to-call-you-fabulou/

This camera lets you use your fingers as the view frame. I love this revolution of using your body to take photography, getting away from the digital world and reverting back to the tedious way of taking pictures. Once again, does technology inhibit or enhance the experience? Would this technology help us to get away from technology? And can that even exist? Does this create a new perspective on life, seeing everything through a physical view finder? Does it limit the ability to see and appreciate everything?

3. Touchy Human Camera

http://ffffound.com/image/40feda09218abf8feeb991099702f2003c316e6f?c=9579049

Okay this looks dorky. I know. But I love the idea of using technology to emphasize the importance of human interaction. When you use this camera, everything is dark to you, as if you were blind. But when you touch another human, you can take a picture with the goggles. Using technology to step away from technology. This was invented to overcome the problems with virtual living. For those that only live in front of a computer, with no physical or real contact, this forces them to see it in a different way. The experience comes because of technology. I think that this shows us - when will technology prevent us from ever doing anything real? 

4. Panoramic Camera Ball 

http://www.popphoto.com/gear/2011/10/new-gear-throwable-panoramic-ball-camera

You can throw this camera and it takes a panoramic photo. Combine motion with photography. And without the technology to do this, we wouldn't have this awesome experience. This give us another way of of seeing the world, of seeing it completely. Nature and the sublime experienced completely.

5. Speed of Light Camera

http://www.latestdigitals.com/2011/12/ultra-fast-camera-capture-speed-light/

This camera takes pictures as fast as the speed of light. Enough said. Slowing down nature with technology so that we can experience the awe even more. 

6. Liquid Lens

http://www.latestdigitals.com/2011/12/ultra-fast-camera-capture-speed-light/

I don't really understand how this works. But I guess they put water inside and it allows for endless variations of focus. Again, using nature and what God has given us to find more ways to capture the beautiful moments of life.

7. Collaborative Editing with Picasa

You can use the minds of several people to edit photos - using ideas from everyone. Using technology to have a cross-experience, having the experience with other people. 

8. Ski-Camera Goggles

http://blogs.twincities.com/yourtechweblog/2012/08/19/your-tech-today-i-try-ski-googles-with-built-in-camera/

In those sublime moments where you're going down the slope and you want to take a picture. going along with the theme of combining photography and nature, this solves the problem of having to take pictures while skiing. But I have to wonder if, when we take pictures of that moment, we detract from that experience?

9. Photoshop Power

In this video, it shows how Photoshop can change the complete appearance of someone. The video shows how it changes the appearance of an old woman to look like a young woman. Technology creating illusions. So is this a real experience? Does technology take away from this real experience? Or even photography? Does it detract from the experience? 

10. Photoshop Power in Modeling/Advertising

Nothing is real anymore. Photoshop is used for everything. When is technology an advantage and when is it not? What is real and what is an illusion? What can technology do for us and when does it detract from our personal experience with awe?

What is reality? And how can technology help or destroy our real experience? Can technology help us get closer to nature? To awe? Or does it detract from that experience?

I think that this creates part of the terror in technological awe. How far can it get? What is the limit? And can we ever find a balance between technological advanced photography helping to enhance our life and detract from it?