Rexer: Everybody's Pictures
In this chapter of the book, Rexer explores the idea of cliché images in digital consumerism and why we as consumers of those images are so desensitized to those images. Often times as artists we try to avoid clichés because we fear our voice and originality will be overshadowed. Rexer, however, suggests something different. He says that, "Rather than a straightjacket, the cliché can be an opening to a different point of view, a stimulus, even a guide to making pictures not yet seen." To me this seems as though we are drawn to taking certain types of images so instead of shying away from this commonality in order to create something new, you can approach these familiar cliché images from a different angle. I'm not sure if I agree with Rexer's statement in this case yet, but I do think it poses an interesting challenge to take to future photography projects.
I too find Rexer's view on "cliched" images to be interesting. I like the ideas he presents, and they seem to be a simple solution to the problem of "originality". But I also feel that to fully grasp his ideas, one needs to try photographing with the mindset he suggests. I plan on giving it a try these next couple of weeks, so we'll see how that goes.
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