The Ordinary Language of Photography: A Study of the Various Modes of Familyphotography

The thesis offers a close study and discussion of the contextual conditions that inform and direct our understanding of family photography. In particular, Hansen explores and compares private photography (pictures of her father) and family photos used in art projects (the works of Hans Peter Feldman and Christian Boltanski). Although family photography is a highly conventional genre, Hansen concludes that it has numerous possibilities for conveying individuality, and argues that family photography is ‘the ordinary language of photography.’