History and Appreciation of Photography
History and Appreciation of Photography
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How does Sontag use the allegory of Plato’s Cave to criticize how photography is used in today’s society?
Yes, or at least how it was used in the 1970s. She suggests that we may be deceived by photographs, in the way the prisoners are deceived by shadows.
Do all photographs show a false reality? The person behind the camera chooses what’s in the frame so the mood may be different, the situation may be different, and the timing may be different. Does Sontag think that photographs are a true and surreal experience of what it offers?
It is not necessarily that all photos show a false reality. But the photographer could alter the perception of reality. Not sure about the surreal part of this question…. that’s a wider question.
Ask a question about Susan Sontag’s text
Why does Sontag, believes that photograph images are falsifying reality that one cannot draw a logical conclusion from anything?
I think Sontag is concerned that photography can deceive, but that does not mean that they have no connection to reality.
Does Sontag feel as though photographing a person as a subject objectify them individually when being photographed?
Potentially, she suggests that photographing people can objectify them.
Does Sontag feel as though if photographing people as a subject is objectifying them indivually?
Does Sontag feel as though photographing a person as a subject objectify them as an individual ?
Is Susan Sontag right when she says we humans have now developed a sort of dependence on photography to prove our experiences?
This is something she suggests, but it’s up to you to decide if it’s true.
Does Susan Sontag uses Plato’s allegory of the cave to explain that photography is a shadow and or reflection of the reality?
Yes, exactly.
If picture is worth a thousand words, why might Sontag believe pictures capture a false reality?
The ‘picture is worth a thousand words’ is a bit of a cliche and could be further interrogated. Pictures do contain a lot of information, but they can also augment reality. Sontag wants her readers to be critical.
What does Sontag mean when she calls photography “a defense against anxiety and a tool of power”?
Sontag describes people in unusual spaces using the camera as a way of coming to know a place. This may be what she means in terms of a ‘tool against anxiety.’ Photography also protects us against loss. The ideas of power relates more to photographies potential voyerism.
What does Susan Tang means by “..a painting or a prose description can never be other than a narrowly selective interpretation, a photograph can be treated as a narrowly selective transparency”?
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We did discuss this in class… Photography is a transparency because we literally look through it to see what it represents. But it is also selective… as in, it doesn’t show us everything. Conversely a painting is an interpretation because it is ‘hand made.’
Why did Susan Sontag believe that photograph can capture the false reality and taking photograph can objectify the person?
She makes these claims based on examples. Think of some of the examples we have looked at in class.
Is Susan Sontag saying that photography has the ability to effect the view’s perspective on reality?
Yes, possibly
Can we relate Susan Sontag’s text to today’s reality of visual over saturated storytelling in social media via instagram?
Yes, although I’m not sure Sontag could have imagined the extent to which digital photography has changed our relationship to the medium.
What does Susan mean by “the camera is the ideal arm of consciousness in its acquisitive mood”?
She is suggesting that it encourages our sense of curiosity. And potentially our voyerism.
According to Sontag, what are the dangers of being overexposed to photography?
It may increase our distance from the world. We may become reliant on it. We may be deceived.
Does Susan think humans fail to investigate for themselves because photography exists?
I think she is concerned that we might take photography at face value.
Does Susan Sontag believe that the interpretation of an image has the power to negatively alter our perspective?
Why does Sontag state “There is an aggression implicit in every use of the camera”?
She thinks that photography is potentially aggressive because it is a way of acquiring possession over people, and objectify them. She argues that photography encourages voyerism.
When Sontag says that “photographs are as many interpretations of the world as paintings and drawings are,” does that imply that the subject matter of photographs aren’t accurately depicted?
Do humans truly use photographs to justify our own existence, or is it simply to validate what the picture is of?