Vintage Term of the Week: Vernacular Photography
July 23, 2008 by Michelle Gartner
Vernacular photography as a phrase sounds like much more then it is. Really it’s just photographs taken by amateurs of everyday events, people, places, etc. Vernacular meaning “native” and so one could think of it as “native photography.”
A mom taking pictures at the beach, a motorist taking pictures at a car show, a child taking pictures of their home- this is all vernacular photography. Now the definition makes it sounds commonplace and on one hand vernacular photography is common, but on the other hand it is truly artistic and dare I say magical.
There is something fascinating about looking into the little snapshots of people’s lives through vernacular photography. I really love to look at vintage photos and examine the details and the subjects; I even have my favorite eras.
In fact I started my own vernacular photography blog recently- my first post is up. Please leave a comment if you drop by- I’ll be adding new photos regularly.
I may post some of my own “vernacular” photos before too long, but I have to buy a really nice scanner first. I am saving all my money, so it’s difficult to spend any LOL! I really want that new Mac desktop soon, so I may wait. I think it comes with one
Hi Bobby- my scanner died so I am taking pictures of photos with my digital camera- I am finding it is faster then scanning anyway- since I use the camera everyday to take pictures of vintage jewelry for eBay and my online store. We looked at scanners at Target this weekend and they were all these three in one monsters- all I wanted was a basic scanner.
I love looking at old photos doesn’t matter if I know the people or not, it’s neat to look at the details and see things from the past- not to mention examine people and their expressions and emotional states.
I hear you about spending- I hate to spend money willy nilly.
Old photos like this remind me of old books. So many of them are forgotten and packed away, but when you break the cover, it’s almost like a time warp. At least that’s how I feel. The musty smell of old paper combined with the rough feel of a worn cover conveys so much emotion. I’ll check out the vernacular blog.