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PHOTOGRAPHY
Roxi Cato - US Army  //  Wildalys Class - US Air Force  //  Agustin Collazo Jr. - US Navy and Marine Corps  //  Michael Congdon - US Army  //  Giovanna Delacruz - US Air Force  //  Amanda Dodd - US Army  //  Dawn S. Hargrett - US Navy  //  Evan Fountain - US Air Force  //  Mark Freeman - US Army  //  Robert Kidney - US Coast Guard  //  Mikko Maki - US Marine Corps  //  Alicia Morales - US Army  //  RaeAnne Swanson - US Air Force

VIDEO
James Alexander - US Air Force  //  Wildalys Class - US Air Force  //  Dwight English - US Army  //  Loretta Fields - US Army  //  Mikko Maki - US Marine Corps  //  Matias - US Marine Corps

 

MARK FREEMAN - US ARMY

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Two concepts that I find fascinating are how the Reticular Activating System (RAS) filters what you see and the premise of quantum theory that, by the very act of watching, the observer affects the observed reality. When you combine these two ideas, you realize that what you look at changes both the observer and the observed. The difference is between what you look at and what you see. There are some objects that you look at every day, but do you see them? Your focus determines your perception. Your brain filters out all the noise, so you pay attention only to what is deemed important. For example, you could drive the same route to work every day. You get to your destination practically on autopilot, hardly recognizing the world around you except to avoid any traffic accidents. If you drive that same route after deciding to buy a new Jeep, however, you become hyper aware of how many other people are driving Jeeps on the same roads. Your RAS has assigned a higher importance to Jeeps, so your brain tells you any time there are other Jeeps in our vicinity.

Photography is ubiquitous now. You carry a camera with you everywhere you go. You create images instantly to document a particular place and time. What moments are important enough that you need to document them? The very act of taking your phone out to compose the image and take the picture connotes meaning, even if you keep that photo to yourself. If you take it a step further and post this image, what are you trying to say?

As receivers of these messages, you can scroll through your social media feeds and see dozens of images in seconds. Which images stand out? What are you looking for? What causes you to pause or even stop? Just as the social media is programmed to give you more of what you look for, your brain is constantly scanning the world around you to reward you with more high-value content. Your reality is shaped by the messages you give to your brain, which in turn filters your perception to match.

What are you looking at? What do you see?

MARK FREEMAN
US ARMY

 

 

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For more information:
Email Leslie Elsasser at lelsasse@usf.edu

Breaking Barriers is a project by USFCAM in collaboration with the USF School of Art and Art History, with Support from the USF Office of Veterans Success, Community Arts Impact Grant Program of the Arts Council of Hillsborough County, Love IV Lawrence 2020 Waves of Change Grant, and additional support from the ACE Arts for Community Engagement Fund and the Florida Department of State.