Photography

Art and history

J. A. McCreery

A universal language, a snapshot in time – it is still –  yet alive.

Without words or sound, photos communicate so much in but an instant. Wherever you are from, whoever you are, the visual world will always speak to you.

For some it is art. Although relatively new, and not one of the traditional seven forms of art, it still falls under the artistic umbrella. The Pictorialist movement pushed its case. Beginning around 1885 this trend pursued a visual aesthetic which emphasized artistic control and expression over photos. The focus lay on the beauty of the subject matter, tonality, and composition rather than the documentation of reality. 

Photography as a form of evidence, capturing events, is still incredibly important. A snapshot in time is insightful to the scale of events, participants and conditions. Take the iconic examples below; U.S. Marines plant the American flag on Iwo Jima during WWII and Michael Phelp’s hundredth of a second win over Milorad Cavic at the 2008 Olympics. 

Regardless of one’s stance, there is something striking about the simplicity of  photos, no convoluted plotlines, no sequences of concentric ideals. It allows for an appreciation of the small, and big, moments of life in their base form. When all the chatter and stigma and explaining stops, it is hard to hide. Or is it?   

Photoshop.

Change an image to your will, great for artistic expression, not so great for the aforementioned accuracy, truth and simplicity. It can impress unrealistic standards and thrust forward fallacies. Propaganda machines and the ill-intentioned can push one of their course.

Many have already taken steps against it – Norways has passed new laws banning photoshop among social media influencers, making it illegal for celebrities to post without explicitly stating they have altered the image. 

Should we follow?