Wallet Photos & Small-Format Photography
Digital tools extend our memory capacity, but what if we aren't meant to remember everything?
Small-format photography developed to meet the physical demands of the analog world. Wallet photos
in particular, are sized to fit into a standard wallet sleeve. It is tempting to consider this format
obsolete, as mobile devices have greatly extended our capacity to take, store, and transport photos.
I am exploring the wallet-sized photo medium in an attempt to understand what changes have come
about in the transition to digital.
The wallet's limited storage capacity encouraged people to carry only photos which represented key
memories, subjects which held great personal meaning, or which signified something important about
the person during social interaction. There is little doubt that the mobile device retains this
function, but the largely undifferentiated medium of digital storage may also encourage more mundane
photography. In all of this I wonder:
- Is the digital photo still a tool for remembrance?
- Are mobile photographs fundamentally different from small-format physical photos?
- Do we actually benefit from increased storage?
- Do large digital galleries signify a decrease in our ability to identify and differentiate important moments?
Wide
Tall
