Photographs, according to Susan Sontag

Project By: Cameron Taylor, Olivia Taldone, and Connor Livingston

Introduction

Photos can be quite subjective, according to the photographer that takes the photo. Not only do photos depict a microcosm of the scene, they confine the full meaning of the photo. Photos tell a piece of the story essentially and hide all the necessary details. They are used to engage emotions, but never are meant to incite any physical action. Photography ultimately limits our understanding of the world because it closes viewers off from the subject, restricts viewers to what is seen in only the picture, and manipulates viewers for pure economical and political benefits.

Anti-Islamic Propaganda

When you take a picture it closes the viewer off from the subject more than it reveals to them Photographs, though they give us a more direct look at a subject matter than any other medium short of video, have the capacity to be that much more blinding due to the trust we place in them.

• Textual evidence:

• “the camera’s rendering of reality must always hide more than it discloses.” ~Sontag

Nazi Propaganda

• Because people are naturally inclined to believe a photograph, and as most pictures taken are not meant to deceive, a picture that carefully masks certain aspects of their subject is that much harder to find out as a lie, or a fragmentation of the truth.

People do not expect to be deceived by a photograph; it is our first thought that they do not have the capacity to exclude certain aspects of the truth, when in truth it is they can master that

very art.

Nazi Propaganda

The ultimate travesty of this is that some photographs that do this the best are taken without the intention of doing so, and thus make it that much more difficult to discover the deceit within.

Photographs not only hide more than they disclose, but they lack the narration to fully understand its impact and all it discloses

These kinds of photos can be even more subtle, conveying a certain emotion or message that does not encompass the whole, or has a slant that makes the viewer feel differently about a situation then they might naturally react to it.

Bombing at Dresden

“while it can goad conscience, it can never be ethical or political knowledge”

“The knowledge gained through still photographs will always be come kind of sentimentalism, whether cynical or humanist”

Bombing at Pearl Harbor

“Invisible Children”

Foundation- started as a documentary by three college students

Northern Uganda Children in war Just as photographs lack sufficient narration, they also can lack the truth through creating bias and distortion

Due to America’s capitalist society, most photographs are manipulated for economical or political benefits. According to Sontag, “industrial societies turn their citizens into image-junkies; it is the most irresistible form of mental pollution.”

Gatorade

To the left: The ingredients that make up Gatorade. As you can see, there are 14 grams of

sugar. Gatorade is not exactly the healthiest

drink, but can provide some energy.

To the right: A famous athlete is drinking the Gatorade. Changes the perspective of what you think of

Gatorade right? Because of this, people are more inclined to drink

Gatorade because they see an idol drinking it; an economic benefit for the company

Target

To the left: This is just a plain red

tulip chair. There is nothing

particularly special about this chair and it isn’t the most stylish.

So why buy it?

To the right: From this Target ad, it can be said that if you buy

the nice red tulip chair, that you will be beautiful, in style, and can get it for a “good buy.”

In other words, if you buy this chair, you will be the most beautiful woman for a bargain of the price.

All of these manipulations contribute to the economic benefit that Target wants in this ad.

Technology World

To the left: Bill Gates One of the most successful men in the world Was the richest man at one time His success is from Microsoft

To the right: An Apple ad Transforms Gates from a successful man to a nerdy, out of date, and uptight

physical caricature of a PC. While, the young, hip, and cool man represents an Apple computer. So, in this photo, Bill Gates is being manipulated to make the Apple computer

company superior.

Obama

To the left: President Obama and his

family Our first African-

American president Seems to have the

perfect presidential family, right?

To the right: Obama smoking a cigarette Yes, presidents do smoke cigarettes but are

not photographed with them very often because of how it looks to the American public

This photo particularly changes a person’s opinion about the President because he has a cigarette and shows the intensity and power of something so simple as a cigarette

Conclusion

Photography dims our knowledge of the world around us of the world because it reveals very little about the subject, avoids the context of the situation, and forces viewers to be part of America’s capitalist society. Photography not only limits our understanding of our environment, but restricts us to that particular photo’s story. Through a camera’s distortion of a photo, people are more prone to not fully understand the situation surrounding that photo. Not only that, photos give us partial knowledge and do not enhance our learning of the situation. Rather, photos give us a false sense of hope that the world is ready and open.