Examining the Iconic and Rediscovering the Photography of Space Exploration in Context to the History of Photography

摘要

The first photograph that ignited my fantasies of space exploration was the dismaying launch-explosion of the Navy s Vanguard One. In my process of rediscovering the iconic within these first 50 years of space exploration photography, I will first identify those images that I consider to be iconic, including the Vanguard launch explosion. thereafter, I will discuss these photographs within the context of the history of photography, looking at both their technical evolution as record-keeping tools and their aesthetic appeal and importance as historic markers of american culture and beyond. Once this historical framework is established, I will move beyond the known iconic imagery to the emergence of other imagery. and why not consider new imagery. aren t there other photographs beyond that one iconic photograph -- the new and largely undiscovered photograph that tells the same story of an event. In fact, that new photograph may even offer a fresh perspective on the event. I will then critique these new and emerging photographs and juxtapose them to aesthetic markers in the history of photography, drawing from landscape, portraiture, documentation, photojournalism and fine art photography.