Assignment #24: TED Talk

David Griffin

Brief Summary: 

          David Griffin, the photo director of National Geographic, gave a TED talk that touches on looking at photography in a new way. He covered different the different situations and conditions that other accomplished photographers have captured. Some of these included slums, underwater, people, animals, etc. One interesting point he said was that "Everyone has at least one or two great photographs in them." He spoke about the stories around the world that were told through photos. Through his TED talk, Griffin showed the world the different ways to look at photography. 

          

Thoughts:

         I think this is one of the most interesting and engaging TED talks I have ever watched. David Griffin is a cool guy. I feel like he touched all the points of his shpeel with grace and good flow. My favorite part (which is probably everyone else's as well) was the part about the leopard seal. THAT WAS SO CUTE! The photographer has real guts to do that, because I would never do that in a million years. And the photos he got from that experience are truly amazing - I can only dream of taking those. I like how he wasn't all condescending and said that everyone has a few remarkable photos in them. I also like how NG has something in their website that allows people to submit photos for possible publication. That's really cool of them. And I have seen the photos on NG, those are pretty cool. I also like how Griffin's topics were diverse. He started with a personal story and then went global, sharing stories that I would not have heard of unless I watched this video. I would definitely recommend this video to any beginning photographer because it gives them another way to look at photography as a whole. 

Critique:

         I do not have much to say when it comes to critique. I truly loved the video. There were accurate times of laughter, awe, and silence. Griffin's presentation was captivating. The only thing that I was uncomfortable watching was all the photos about poverty and animal abuse. Not that I did not like watching it, it was more like it was unsettling. But I guess that was what he was going for when he was presenting. Photographers experience the cruel realities of the world and they are compelled to capture it to show others what is going on. And I have mad respect for these people. They have the bravery to go somewhere like the slums or the desert where there is a good chance of being mugged or possibly killed just for a good photo.