Photography as Information Community

Hello everyone! I am Kyle Hanson and have spent the last ten years out of college as a photographer in Orange County, California. I primarily focus on landscapes and historical places but especially love photographing sunsets, the Mojave Desert, American Southwest, National Parks, and National Historic Landmarks.

In my years as a photographer, I have noticed so much has changed in the last decade due to climate change. I have not discovered a mountain range that has not been blackened by ash, a beach without erosion, or a landscape that has not lost plants or wildlife due to severe drought. Many historical sites and structures have also disappeared from the same natural disasters or have been lost due to budget cuts and lack of funding for preservation.

With these changes, I have come to realize I have unintentionally become a documentary photographer. A typical documentary photographer documents events as they occur but my photos seem to tell a story of what was over time. Whenever I take photos now, I photograph as if it is the last time I will see a place because it might never look the same.

This has led me to pursue my Master of Library and Information Science. I want to help libraries, museums, historical societies, and company’s document, archive, and preserve their information just as I do with my personal photography.

I am proud to be in a community of documentary photographers. One of the best parts of being a photographer in this modern age is the instant gratification of my work being seen and shared on social media across the world. This helps make the world a smaller place and creates a sense of community with the “ability to transcend barriers to information sharing, and capacity to foster social connectedness” (Fisher & Bishop, 2015, p. 23).

References:

Fisher, K. E., & Bishop, A. P. (2015). Information communities: Defining the focus of information service. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (pp. 20-26). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.