Tuesday, September 22, 2009

"Myth of the Photographic Truth"

Photographers have the ability to alter the true meaning or context of a situation by playing with the framing of the subject they are photographing. The photographer has the creative license to include and omit what he feels is essential to the success of his photograph. In this particular case, if the photographer chose only to include the little girl in his original photograph, the viewer would be left with the question, "Why does this young girl show so much anguish in her face?" The viewer would be left to make assumptions and hypothesises. The viewer might assume that the girl is physically hurting, or, maybe, she is being punished.
The intended format of the photograph allows the viewer to further his assumptions. The viewer is able to understand the little girl's anguish more fully. Although it is still necessary to make assumptions, these assumptions are made with a bit of evidence. The viewer can now see that the girl is distressed because she has seen death. Perhaps her brother or her father has died before her eyes. Although these assumptions are more convincing, the viewer still lacks the ability to truly know the context of the situation. We can never truly know what took place when the photograph was taken. Only those who were eyewitnesses to the event are truly knowledgable of the situation.

Although photography is a revolutionary force in that it allows someone to capture a specific moment in history, the truth behind photographs is more often than not based on the perceptions and assumptions of the viewer.


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