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Critical Thinking Essay Photography
Examining Photographs: Bias in Photography
A picture is worth a thousand words. Yet, what goes on behind the scene to make that image possible in reality? Photography as a genre is incredibly powerful. On the one hand, it is seen as more realistic than any other art form; yet at the same time, many within the field have constructed tailored messages within this preconceived preference within the public mind frame.
The philosophy behind photography is actually much more complex than it may seem. Examining the writings of Sontang (2005), there is clearly a much more abstract conception of the power of photographs and their position within society. As such, Sontang presents a very interesting view of the paradox with photographs in contemporary societal life. Photographic images are everywhere in society. As our technology has continued to evolve, so has our fascination with images. As photographs...
Whatever it was that was photographed actually took place in some way or another, even if this scene was artificially staged it was still a scene conducted in real life for a specific purpose. In this idea, "a photograph is not only an image (as a painting is an image), an interpretation of the real; it is also a trace, something directly stenciled off the real, like a footprint or a death mask" (Sontang 120). Due to the fact that the photograph replicates what actually was real at one point in time, it is a preferred image compared to paintings or drawings which were only mere interpretations to what was in existence at one point or another.
Yet, Sontang also highlights the concept that photographs are also intriguing to us based on the fact that they can alter a state of reality for artistic purposes. Because they can…
References
Sontag, Susan. (2005). On Photography. Rosetta Books.
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