Implications of photography’s computational turn for visual methods
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Abstract
Drawing on the research methods developed during an exploratory visual analysis of global photojournalism during COVID-19, this paper examines the opportunities for employing metadata (from capture, context, and publishing) in visual research and the implications of emerging computational photography. Metadata is critical for facet analysis of visual datasets and exploratory visual analysis, as well as assessing image validity, provenance, and capture and publishing contexts. In the case study dataset, only one-third of the photojournalism included embedded EXIF metadata, associated with the editorial workflows of source photo agencies, while other metadata was rare (such as geospatial data) or absent (IPTC metadata). Emerging imaging approaches present both opportunities and challenges for visual researchers to engage with how our visuals worlds are captured, selected, and represented. As imaging techniques rely on rapidly evolving and conceptually opaque sensing and algorithmic techniques, visual researchers should prioritize engaging with visual tools and standards development.
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