If you’ve ever questioned the power of an image, consider the current news cycle. The US government has decided it won’t show images of the dead Bin Laden.
If you’re wondering why, the answer is simple. A photograph–an image–is an incredibly powerful thing. It can be a tool, intentionally or incidentally. It can tell an entire story of a month, year, decade, or a generation, captured in perhaps just 1/1000 of a second. An image change a life, end a war, start a riot, bring someone joy, inspire a revolution, open or close a debate. An image can move the world.
My point has nothing to do with the governments treatment, or lack thereof, of the Bin Laden image…should or shouldn’t, left or right in America, good versus evil, or any other debate along political lines. That is not my point, and this is not the forum here for those discussions. Don’t go there. Instead it has everything to do with the proof of the power of an image. Therein lies the only reason that this debate rages on. If it weren’t powerful, there would be nothing to say.
My point is a simple one and specifically this: if you’ve ever doubted if, in this modern era with technology moving a light speed, whether there is still respect and value for the 130 year old concept of a photo, think again. If you’ve ever wondered if the power of a photograph is waning, think again. The power of a photograph is at an all time high. Sometimes we… need these reminders.
Consider this as you go to work with your camera.
I think you might be confusing the medium for the message. A photograph is not powerful. Heck, there are so many photographs taken today and shared all over the world, sure they are fun, but also inconsequential (most of them). My point is, that I would like to make a distinction between what exactly IS the photograph — not all photographs are powerful, some more than others… So how do we make this distinction between powerful and throwaway ‘polaroids’? Well, first of all let’s look at this one particular case. A photograph of Bin Laden dead. First, we all know what Bill Laden has been built up to be: the bogeyman haunting America for 10 years. Seconds, it’s a photograph of a dead man. Third a photograph of a Muslim. Take all these things, and try to understand the sociology, anthropology, politics, and religion involved and you understand why this is a powerful photograph. But a photograph of your kitten… not so powerful. So, to conclude, you are wrong: a photograph is not powerful, it’s everything else that is around the photograph that makes it what it is. If photography wasn’t invented, maybe it wold be a paining, or some object belonging to the person. It’s about the signifier and the signified, but if the signified is not powerful the signifier might as well be worthless.
CJ,
your post made me think of the book The Pulitzer Prize Winning Photographs -Moments- by Hal Buell.
Every time i need something raw to look at that’ll really make me think i read this book and stare at its photos.
I’d recommend it to anyone! It’s filled with impact-full scenes from our nations history. Many famous photographs can be found inside
CJ,
your post made me think of the book The Pulitzer Prize Winning Photographs -Moments- by Hal Buell.
Every time i need something raw to look at that’ll really make me think i read this book and stare at its photos.
I’d recommend it to anyone! It’s filled with impact-full scenes from our nations history. Many famous photographs can be found inside
Chase, again some very thought provoking comments.
I guess just how powerful an image can really be has been shown again with reporting that a Jewish newspaper edited out Hillary Clinton of the photo that has been seen worldwide (even us Aussies here have seen it!). The photo was one of those “moment in time” style photos and the fact that such a powerful photo had been edited, for me, further proves your point of how powerful photography remains (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/10/jewish-paper-apologises-hillary-clinton)
Its nice to know I’m not the only one thinking about that photo in relation to this blog post. Thanks Faz