What does "Photographic modality" mean?

[Butlerkid]

I received this comment on my website:

"Don't ever stop. Your images capture magic moments with perfection in focus, f/stops and shutter speeds. They ooze with the emotion you feel for what you are doing. Should you ever come to California again we would love to meet with you and show you another photographic modality for your images that I know you would enjoy. "

Hmmmm....sounds like they are buttering me up for ???? WAY tooooo syrupy to be sincere! LOL! But I was intrigued by the term "modality" since I had not heard it used this way before.


A little Goggling brought up this Art Department course description at UCLA:

"Production - Units: 2
Studio, four hours. Limited to Art majors. Instruction in production techniques and processes, including basics of recording still images, moving images, and sound. Discussion of professional setups and standard practices as well as alternatives. Editing of still images, moving images, and sound. Review of use of tools, software, workflow, storage, and output modalities. Letter grading."

Is "modality" the new term for "output"????

 

[Palouse]

Mode is often used as a synonym for method. So your guess is probably right. He/she/they have same new and fancy way to show off images.

 

[Butlerkid]

So you've also not heard this phrase before? Seems like just "new speak" trying to make things sound new and more exciting than just calling it what it is! I'll bet folks here could find lots of examples of this!!!!!

 

[Palouse]

Modality is a term I associate with engineers, business schools and the like.

 

[Clix Pix]

Yes, I think of it in terms of method/mode -- how something is being done; also perhaps adds in a bit of uniqueness and one's own style as well.

 

[Clix Pix]

This guy has a website/blog: "A Photographic Modality"

https://pauldielemans.wordpress.com and he asks the question, "What modality do you use to view the world around you?"

 

[Palouse]

Here is an "interesting" one: https://www.urbanauticainstitute.com/awards

" . . we welcome a variety of photographic modalities (linguistic, structural, formal and expressive) through which these issues are addressed. We care about the depth of intuitive thinking as much as the strength and coherence of the proposal."

 

[Mike Buckley]

photographic modalities (linguistic, structural, formal and expressive)

I think I get what a structural, formal or expressive modality might be in the context of photography, but I have no idea what a linguistic modality would be.

 

[Mike Buckley]

Seems like just "new speak" trying to make things sound new and more exciting than just calling it what it is!

And the people who try to make things sound that way are invariably trying to impress themselves in the process.

 

[Cslucas34]

Perfect example of people “churching up” language to make themselves appear more intelligent or having more value than they truly are / do.

 

[bsinc1962]

Not sure about photographic modality but his first comment was correct. Your work is amazing.

 

[Palouse]

“churching up”

Love that phrase!

 

[gryphon1911]

Funny this should come up. My wife just was asked a few days ago for her "healthcare modality". She works in a hospital and this new buzzword seems to be the "re-naming of an old term to make it appear new".

In medical care here in this part of the world, it refers to the type of equipment that is used to produce the output that her department provides.

Renaming something to make it sound new is one of my pet peeves. I work in IT and it always makes me laugh when the youngsters come in to sell us a new machine, coding language or "technology" - acting as if it were something brand new. I love the look on their faces when we tell that either "we already have it" or "that's been done that way since the 1970's". It's always a fun time to watch them squirm .

Anyway...it appears from the context of the provided text that "output modality" would be the devices used for providing a deliverable beyond the camera. So in my estimation that would be printers, video displays, or other similar/related mediums.

 

[Ann_JS]

Just four hours to cover the entire subject of Photography — and they throw-in an in-depth study of "modalities" too?
Sounds like a bargain?!

 

[Palouse]

Just four hours to cover the entire subject of Photography — and they throw-in an in-depth study of "modalities" too?
Sounds like a bargain?!

I'd guess that the 4 hours refers to the units of credit that a student receives. I'd guess further the class meets for at least 4 hours a week for an entire semester, as is the custom in US universities. It is listed as a studio class and so it it is likely that it meets for 8 hours a week. Typical for studio/lab classes.

 

[BillM]

Maybe I need to add “Modalities” to my next Buzzword Bingo card

 

[Palouse]

Maybe I need to add “Modalities” to my next Buzzword Bingo card

I think the Café needs a modalities section!

 

[bpdougd]

Just four hours to cover the entire subject of Photography — and they throw-in an in-depth study of "modalities" too?
Sounds like a bargain?!

Must be using the Vulcan mind modality.

 

[Hylander]

'What does "Photographic modality" mean?'

It means he wants to sell you something you probably don't want or need.

 

[Pa]

I was scanning down the list of new topics on the right-hand side of the forum page and I saw 'What does "Photographic Modalities" mean?' Just down the list was "Relentless Absurdity".

Couldn't help thinking that one was the answer to the other.