The Role of Photography

823 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: importance of photography in the society

Presently, photography has transformed into a social rite that is widely practiced by masses as a part of their daily lives. People preserve their memories on a photosensitive film through their lens (images) and convert them subsequently into the form of images (camera). They credit these images as they do believe that the pictures will exist in immortality even though the event has ended, whereas the aging brains will drain their memories away. These pictures remember every single little thing, long after they have forgotten everything. Agreeing with Susan Sontag's idea in her essay entitled “On Photography,” “The omnipresence of cameras persuasively suggests that time consists of interesting events, events worth photographing” (311), N. Scott Momaday, Babbette Hines, and Jim Nachtwey say that people depend on cameras to chronicle the priceless moments occurring in their lives. The question is, do all photographic images always portray the truth?

Both the photographer and the subject have the ability to interfere with the result of the photography. The photographers, being able to either direct the subject or decide not to include certain distasteful things in their photographs, have no higher sovereignty than the subjects who are free to select their own poses and arrangements. In Picture Perfect, Hines acknowledges that we choose our truth, “You can even pretend to be happier than you really are...” (247). In fact, her idea not only applies to photo-booth pictures but also to photography in general. We decide our own facial expressions, behaviors, and attitudes that conform to what we want to be seen when a camera is forced upon us; they don't have to depict our sincere feeling.

But this is not the end of the story, how...

... middle of paper ...

...ulate the result of their photograph according to what they want it to be seen: diminish the unwanted acne, brighten the face, and make certain parts look slimmer. Remove all of the undesired objects and enhance it with extra adornments. Perfectly done.

But at last, how about the truth of the photograph? Is it okay to make it concealed?

The answer is so simple that many may have thought about it: they don't care. They are immersed in their own thought of overvaluing the role of photographs; the truth of the photographs is abandoned unrevealed as they are overwhelmed by the new look they created. Photography becomes their vital mask, and they won't let anybody to unveil it; they are disguising the truth. Dumbfounded by other obscure usages of photography, people unconsciously violate the main function itself: to capture and record the truth of their lives. Ironic.

Show More
Related

  • Whether Photography Limits Understanding

    939 Words  | 2 Pages

    The camera is simply a portable extension of our eyes that captures images we may otherwise never see, and freezes them into eternity for our scrutiny. If photographs provide any true knowledge, it is that of a visual stimulus, a superficial comprehension that barely scratches the surfaces. What would photographs be without captions? Merely anonymous pictures of anonymous things, anonymous places, and anonymous people. Photography all...

    Read More

  • Sontag Essay

    518 Words  | 2 Pages

    Susan Sontag’s essay on how photography has limited people’s understanding of the world contains many interesting points that can be agreeable while at the same time having few that I tend to disagree with. Photography can be good and bad; it can open our minds up to new cultures and experiences through its imagery. However, at the same time it can limit our understanding of the world around us and of the world around the image it is portraying.

    Read More

  • Decoding Objectivity: Manipulation Techniques in Photojournalism

    1073 Words  | 3 Pages

    Photography, among many things, is a medium used to further the connection between a reader and the story. It does this by drawing the reader into the world of the photograph, and allowing them to experience the realism of the scenario. This connection has amplified the level of communication between humans, namely, in the field of journalism. In the article “To Tell the Truth: Codes of Objectivity in Photojournalism” written by Donna Schwartz, she discusses the methods employed by photojournalists to manipulate photos in order to give the desired effect, or connection. These methods, along with others from “Critical Media Studies” written by Brian Ott and Robert Mack, will be used to analyze the following photo to show how they create the

    Read More

  • Limitations of Photography in Portraying War Realities

    773 Words  | 2 Pages

    Photography may be seen as a helpful tool in recording history, history itself cannot be based on images. Susan Sontag author of “ Regarding the Pain of Others”, states:

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of On Photography By Susan Sontag

    640 Words  | 2 Pages

    Susan Sontag once wrote, “To collect photographs is to collect the world.” In her article entitled “On Photography,” she overviews the nature of photography and its relation to people using it. Sontag discusses photography’s ability to realistically capture the past rather than an interpretation of it, acting as mementos that become immortal. Continuing on to argue the authenticity of photography and how its view points have shifted from art into a social rite.With the use of rhetorical devices, Sontag scrutinizes the characteristics of photography and its effects on surrounding affairs; throughout this article Sontag reiterates the social rites, immortality and authenticity of photographs, and the act of photography becoming voyeuristic. With the use of the rhetorical devices pathos, appeal of emotion, ethos, appeal to ethics and credibility, and logos, appeal to logic, Sontag successfully persuades the audience to connect and agree with her views.

    Read More

  • Influence of Photography on Reality

    1210 Words  | 3 Pages

    A young man peers into a screen attached to a box that projects its image through a small lens. It is the 17th century and the artist Johannes Vermeer is preparing to paint another image based on a reflection of reality though a box. Today billions of people around the world peer into boxes with projected light and receive a different reality with images created through photography that has affected the world in many ways. Photography has become more and more accessible to the general population. For much of its technological existence, photographing was only a luxury for the wealthy. Eventually the common man could afford cameras and take pictures although these usually remained confined to a small family or friend group. It was not until the last decade or so that everyone could attain cameras, with most having them on their phones, and shared them among a vast social network creating a profile based on the everyday image. As photography has improved during the last two centuries, it has affected the way we perceive reality.

    Read More

  • The Power and Pitfalls of Photojournalism

    1820 Words  | 4 Pages

    Photojournalist Mark Hancock once wrote: “ A journalist tells a stories. A photographer takes pictures, a photojournalist takes the best of both and locks it into a powerful medium”. For many years visuals such as photos have been used to add context to an article, photo’s can allow the reader to relate and or understand the story better. Rather than just reading about an event photo’s that accompany a story connect the viewer to the story in ways that words can not. That being said, although photojournalist photos are meant to be transparent and accurate it is becoming more and more apparent that news outlets and freelance photojournalists are manipulating and photoshopping images. Photojournalist are constantly finding themselves having to detach themselves from their subjects and act quickly and often times because they work in such fast paced environments they are on the receiving end of

    Read More

  • Laura Mallonee's Infamously Altered Photos

    585 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Rachel Handel’s article, “Picture Imperfect” she states how digital manipulation of photography has become so common in today’s society, that it is a “routine practice” (Handel) for today’s early and late photographers. If the routine practice keeps happening and growing at the rate it is now, who is to say that photographs without editing will just one day disappear? It is wrong and needs to stop before more damage is done. There are even jobs out there that employ people to lie about the practice of photography. The jobs employ the workers to “touch-up photographs”

    Read More

  • The Birth of Photography

    1583 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...image was found to be altered. (Fig. 6) was widely dispersed by email in 2001, the photograph is of a great white shark leaping out the water to take a bite of a soldier, nevertheless like the previous photo this was also proven fake. These examples show Similarity to the pre-digital era where photographers had no interest in documenting reality, but now it’s amateurs and professionals alike, whom will take a documentary photograph and manipulate it to conjure fantasies or imaginary scenes. Except unlike pre-digital, photojournalism has developed and no longer is manipulation tolerable in this sector, and it is the general public that has set this, people are searching for truth in photography, but trying to break up the truth from fabrication is difficult and pranksters and even journalists are proving that time and time again, we can't believe everything we see.

    Read More

  • Photography: A False Lens on Reality

    696 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Sontag’s On Photography, she claims photography limits our understanding of the world. Though Sontag acknowledges “photographs fill in blanks in our mental pictures”, she believes “the camera’s rendering of reality must always hide more than it discloses.” She argues photographs offer merely “a semblance of knowledge” on the real world.

    Read More

  • The Power of Photography

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have you ever seen a painting or picture that captivates you and directly stirs up emotion within you? More than likely, you have. Usually, viewers merely observe the picture and enjoy the way it looks and how it makes them feel. But, have you ever asked yourself, “why?” What about the picture makes it pleasing to the viewer? With each strategy the photographer uses creates their own touch and passion that floods all over the picture. The emotional connection nearly goes unnoticed for when the picture is well photographed, the viewers experience the sensation in their subconscious. This is one of the most powerful tools that a photographer holds in their hands. If one can become a master of manipulating how the photo affects its viewers, the said photographer can potentially maneuver people’s minds and thoughts with one click of a button. The time spent with my mentor has opened up the door for me to tap into that power though the use of background, focus, shutter speed, angles, and most importantly, lighting. Even with all these techniques, the person behind the camera must remember that creativity must be at the forefront of all operations. Caleno (2014), when writing about the basics of capturing a beautiful moment in a picture commented, “If we want to be creative we must drop these pre-conceptions and start looking at things from a small child’s innocence.”

    Read More

  • Ethics Of Photography

    982 Words  | 2 Pages

    The purpose of photography is to capture the “perfect” moment. However, some photographers fail to realize the meaning of the moment itself: is it worth publicizing? To capture a moment or experience, photographers aim to gather and preserve images that the naked eye would miss within an instant. By doing this, they gain a misconception between humanity and the concept of photography. Everyday people take images on their cell phones because they want to share them with friends and family. In 1993, Kevin Carter took a trip to Sudan and took a picture of a starving Sudanese girl being stalked by a vulture. What photographers, like Kevin Carter, fail to realize is that every time a picture is taken, a part of the individual photographed is taken

    Read More

  • Photojournalism Essay

    719 Words  | 2 Pages

    Photojournalism plays a critical role in the way we capture and understand the reality of a particular moment in time. As a way of documenting history, the ability to create meaning through images contributes to a transparent media through exacting the truth of a moment. By capturing the surreal world and presenting it in a narrative that is relatable to its audience, allows the image to create a fair and accurate representation of reality.

    Read More

  • The Importance of Accuracy in Journalism

    1913 Words  | 4 Pages

    Newton, Julianne H. The Burden of Visual Truth: The Role of Photojournalism in Mediating Reality. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2001. Print.

    Read More

  • Photography Is The Main Source Of Communication

    1249 Words  | 3 Pages

    Taking photographs and photography itself is a great tool of power in many different aspects of life that one might not realize day to day. Photography has the power to reveal things that if expressed in words, would cease to be as powerful a truth. It serves as evidence of something larger. Yes, photos can be manipulated- yet because they can it makes the viewer even more cautious and observant on the details of these photos. Taking pictures is so much more than what it is painted to be on the surface. It is not always superficial and inconsequential. If you look deeper into the photo meaning and the details about the photos’ source, you observe things you would have never seen otherwise, like the slight hint of sorrow on her face, the contradiction in human ability, and the subtle external truths about the reason we do things, such as take pictures.

    Read More

More about The Role of Photography

Open Document