Technological advancements have changed the outlook of photographs today, with picture editing software enabling the incorporation of props and filters. The outlook of photographs today may have changed, but the inherent power in photographs remains the same. Malcolm Daniel once said that great artistic works will always have the power of moving us, whether they are made today or decades ago.
Photographers, documentary photographers and photojournalists have expressed a different opinion on the power of the photograph mostly based on a personal experience. This essay explores the power of photography in a historical context.
The Art of Photography
The art of photography involves the collection of light and the use of a technical process similar to how our brain receives information from our eyes. Photography is considered successful based on how close an image is in providing a viewer with an illusion of reality.
Photography is a powerful tool for capturing moments for future reference and/or for re-creating history in the present.
Photograph in History
Stories are told through photographs, both real and fictional stories. Viewers of images also have different stories of an event made up in their mind because an interpretation of images is subjective. There are popular historical photographs that tell the world more about historical occurrences than a documentation of such occurrences can tell.
Examples are pictures of the Vietnamese war showing both the good and the bad of humanity. A compilation of images from the Vietnamese war and the stories they tell can be found here.http://time.com/vietnam-photos/
Power of Photography
The power of photography is subjective meaning different things to different people. If you wish to understand more on what photography entails, you could consult professional custom essay writers, especially those specialized on writing about this timeless art form.
The power of photography lies in its capability of creating an illusion of reality in the mind of a person viewing a picture. Different moments in human life are embedded in photographs, both the good and bad moments. Memories are stored in photographs bringing up diverse kinds of human emotions when viewed.
Blake Morrison, an author talks about how the photographic images of his dead parents have become a source of sorrow to him.
Furthermore, like any visual aid, incorporating photographs in classroom teaching aids student understanding of subjects being taught. So also does a photograph help us see things around us which we would have ordinarily ignored in more details. It brings to focus those things we have pushed to the background intentionally or unintentionally.
The power of a photograph is becoming more apparent in the creation of photo-stories or photo-essays. Photo-essay is a compilation of photographs that tell a life story such as a journey through a pregnancy and a battle with a disease or sickness.
Angelo Marensino captured images to document the last days of his wife’s life in her battle with cancer. He captured the fun moments and the progressive change in her body has the sickness became aggravated. For him, these images were captured to help friends and family better understand the challenges they faced daily.
The power of photography is subjective meaning different things to different people. If you wish to understand more on what photography entails, you could consult professional custom essay writers, especially those specialized on writing about this timeless art form.