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  • Essay / The role of photography - 823

    Currently, photography has transformed into a social rite widely practiced by the masses as part of their daily lives. People preserve their memories on photosensitive film through their lens (images) and then convert them into images (camera). They credit these images because they believe the images will exist in immortality even if the event is over, while aging brains drain their memories. These images remember every little thing, long after you have forgotten everything. Agreeing with Susan Sontag's idea in her essay "On Photography," "The omnipresence of cameras convincingly suggests that time is made up of interesting events, events worth photographing." » (311), N. Scott Momaday, Babbette Hines and Jim Nachtwey say that people depend on cameras to chronicle the priceless moments of their lives. The question is: do all photographic images always represent the truth? Both the photographer and the subject have the ability to interfere with the outcome of the photograph. Photographers, who can either direct the subject or decide not to include certain unpleasant things in their photographs, have no higher sovereignty than subjects who are free to choose their own poses and arrangements. In Picture Perfect, Hines acknowledges that we choose our truth: “You can even pretend to be happier than you really are…” (247). In fact, his idea not only applies to photo booth photos but also to photography in general. We decide our own facial expressions, behaviors and attitudes that are consistent with how we want to be seen when a camera is forced on us; they don't need to describe our sincere feelings. But that's not the end of the story, how... in the middle of a sheet of paper ......ulates the result of their photograph based on what they want it to be seen: reduce unwanted acne, brighten the face and refine certain parts. Remove all unwanted items and beautify it with additional ornaments. Perfectly done. But finally, what about the veracity of photography? Is it okay to hide it? The answer is so simple that many may have thought about it: they don't care. They are immersed in their own thinking that the role of photographs is overestimated; the truth of the photographs is abandoned and not revealed as they are overwhelmed by the new look they have created. Photography becomes their vital mask, and they don't let anyone reveal it; they disguise the truth. Stunned by other obscure uses of photography, people unconsciously violate the main function itself: capturing and recording the truth of their lives. Ironic.