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It is well known that the main difference between the people of today and those of say 200 years ago is the level of technology that prevails today as compared to the levels during that period, because human nature also does change but very little over time. It is the technological standards in a given age that determines the way humans look at the world and the way they live. This is exactly the case with photography, which was invented in 1835, and subsequently became very popular in a short period. The widespread use of photography in the coming years enabled it to be used as an art form and for several other uses making it very popular and of much utility value through which moments could be frozen and recalled and shared with others. Photography had an immense influence on artists and it also developed into an art form that continues to impact artists of all reputes in the present times also.
Photography as invented by Louis Daguerre required about thirty minutes for exposure, and the introduction of this new technique went quite far in creating a language that was easily understood by most people. Needless to add that one can recall old memories from our childhood days by using the power of photography, thereby creating a data bank of the old days, which indeed impacts society in different ways. Moments of joy and sorrow can be captured in photographs and because they capture the essence of single moments in making them permanent, they can be accessible at any given time, which indeed is a great blessing especially in comparison with the days when there was no photography. Pictures enable us to keep a record of our past and present activities as also moments that give us pleasure and happiness. Photography can be considered as a very important medium that becomes a witness to all that is happening in being recorded with its use. Indeed the entire world becomes witness to the happenings in the world especially in the world of today whereby the media plays a very important role.
Although photography was invented in its full form only in 1835, an understanding of the social impact that was a result of the invention of photography is rightly portrayed by Azoulay (2005) in his article “The Ethic of the Spectator: The Citizenry of Photography” in which he describes the relationship between the invention of photography and the new perceptions of the world and reality in the viewpoint of the average citizen. He says that by 1860 professional photography had come to be used extensively so that picture portraits had glossy machined finishing and were used as illustrations in books. In this regard, he believed that such photography became a link between social and policy issues in relating ordinary citizens with the power holders. He wrote in this regard that “The conquest of the world as picture was photograph’s vision from its very beginning, and is performed anew each and every moment.” (Azoulay 2005, p. 38). Another noteworthy work in consideration of the impact of photography on society was by Hulick, D. E. and Marshall J (1997), who have examined the history of photography and its impact on the life of people and modern art. In analyzing different historical periods they state that the perception and understanding of photography have changed in being influenced by political and special changes.
In the world of today, while sitting at home we can watch world sporting events including the Olympics as also live films of all the important news happening around the world. This is all the result of the invention of photography which has been innovated over the years, and now with further technological advancements and the advent of digital photography and filming, every aspect of human and social life is considerably impacted by it. Photographers can record life, the attacks taking place in war-torn areas, tragedies, poverty situations, examples of human misery and human joy. It is quite evident that the life of human beings revolves around such social factors and given the fast pace developments taking place everywhere it is implied that the portrayal of these events is brought before the masses only through photography and subsequent broadcast of these by TV channels and their portrayal in the newspapers and magazines. The structure of society has been changing down the ages and the basic factor that influences such developments is the extent of information that reaches people of different societies. Sure, photography has enabled the availability of information very conveniently by way of pictures from any part of the world. If pictures and films of the happenings can be accessed by everyone in any part of the world, such as what happened with the Iraq War, it is bound to have an impact on societies everywhere in the world. Real-life pictures are available of the war and people become witness to the vagaries of such war as also the extreme sufferings of not only those that are fighting in the war but also of those who are innocent and get trapped in the combat or become targets of the cross-firing or the air attacks. Such events have a great bearing in forming opinions and thus there is a chain reaction that affects different societies in different ways.
Nickel, D. P (2001) has argued that photography is often seen in terms of technological inventions and changes that pay no attention to social transformations and new realities. He feels that if new modes of seeing and, with them, a new kind of observation were precipitated by the direct and popular usage of innovative photographic technologies, the infinite reality of nature could be viewed endlessly with all its details. Indeed he has rightly said that “Photographic history’s imminent demise as an aspect of art history is neither natural nor inevitable” (Nickel 2001, p. 43). An interesting analysis of the effect of photography has been done by Smith, L. (2000), whereby he concluded that color plays an important role in the perception of photographs. He thinks that the techniques and methods used by the early photographers have been neglected and forgotten, causing the reality interpretation to be ignored. He explains by citing an example of how motorcycles speeding along a highway or lined up along a curb of a city street would look and goes on to say that all human characteristics they appear to express “as indicated perhaps most overtly by the self-conscious inclusion of reflective, or doubling, devices within photographic compositions, in its early decades photography radically altered a subject’s relationship to his or her double” (Smith 2000, p. 91). In this regard Tandeciarz, S. L. (2006), has critically interpreted the subject matter of photography in stating that the photography of today is a missing art as compared to the first thirty years of its development. He believes that modern photography does not reflect reality and the world around us due to the practices of matching striking visual images in attempts to create poetic impressions out of the art. If a blank mind sees real images photography is much more of a soothing, learning, and enjoyable experience.
It is observed through the years that photography has impacted public opinion considerably. Photography has enabled the documenting of severe disasters in showing right before us the wars in all their frightening circumstances and consequences. There have been far-sighted photographers who have had the notion and vision to take photographs that depict the horrifying events of the war in attempts so that looking at them may dissuade future generations from indulging in the large-scale destruction and annihilation. It is in this context that a great photographer rightly narrated that with his photographs he intended to save the world. Indeed a noble cause to take up for the betterment of society. The several pictures of the Vietnam War that were seen by people around the world within a very short span of their being taken, were supposed to be seen as soon as possible given the issues involved. The world became aware of the atrocities being meted out to the civilian population and the torturous treatment of prisoners of war, and all those who saw the photographs were immediately moved and felt sick at seeing the plight of the people in suffering under inhuman conditions. As a result, people were outraged and pressure was put on America to consider the human rights of people and to fight the war with dignity and concern for human beings. Here we have a concrete example of how photography plays a vital role in enabling the availability of real-life pictures irrespective of distance and place in bringing about the response of societies for the well-being of the human race.
A photo becomes memorable because it creates an impact and a visual impression that stirs the observer into seeing something extraordinary in being remarkable, creative, or shocking. After having seen the picture, a person could feel a sense of compassion or anger, which corroborates the majority opinion that a picture essentially evokes emotional responses that return in the form of memories and may tend to bring about repeated thoughts of the same. It is rightly said that photographers show us the world from their eyes in recording the happenings of life and death from their point of view. It is the photojournalists who bring us in a close encounter to the top happenings in the world every day. Through the medium of photography, we have all become citizens of the world because by watching all the events, although while sitting at home, we become virtual participants in all that is happening and we see the events with our own eyes and form opinions on them from our point of view. This way the entire world becomes a witness to all the happenings that becomes possible because of the advent and advancement of photographic techniques. Indeed there appears to be one social order in the world in this regard and more and more people are becoming alive to the concern for the sufferings of their fellow humans.
Many questions keep arising about the different social aspects of photography. The subject concerning the objectivity of photography has been a much-debated matter amongst photographers since it is primarily a subjective discipline which implies putting oneself into confusion about what to photograph and what not to. There are concerns regarding photography being used as a tool in a large number of films that cater to the entertainment needs of the masses. This is so since photography is sometimes misused in portraying what may not be good for society or for that matter may be like catering to violent inhibitions of a section of society. In this regard, it is said that a camera may be like being a means to observe but it is passive, meaning that it simply absorbs what is placed in its focus and presents it in that state. The camera is often criticized for acting as a peeping tom in portraying sexual and violent fantasies that are gradually eroding the cultural structures of several societies. Nevertheless, photography has become a media form that can change perceptions and has the potential to change the structure of society. Photography has instilled fears that explicit and indecent pictures can be made accessible to young children, which further erodes the structure of society. It is in this context that the practice of censoring pictures and movies now plays an important role.
References
- Azoulay, A. (2005). The Ethic of the Spectator: The Citizenry of Photography. Afterimage, 33 (1), 38.
- Heinz K Henisch, (1998) Positive Pleasures: Early Photography and Humor, Pennsylvania State University Press
- Hulick, D. E. Marshall, J. (1997). Photography: 1900 to the Present. Prentice Hall; Facsimile edition.
- John Raeburn, (2006) A Staggering Revolution: A Cultural History of Thirties Photography, University of Illinois Press
- Nickel, D. P. (2001) History of Photography: The State of Research. The Art Bulletin, 83 (1), 43.
- Smith, L. (2000). Photographic Portraiture and the Forgetting of Color. Journal of European Studies, 30 (1), 91.
- Tandeciarz, S. L. (2006). Mnemonic Hauntings: Photography as Art of the Missing. Social Justice, 33 (1) 135.
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