The Importance Of Photography As A Form Of Art

Reverend Hale uses ethos when discussing his background in religion and what he brought to Salem. This is seen when he says, “I came to this village like a bridegroom to his beloved, bearing gifts of high religion; the very crowns of holy law I brought, and what I touched with my right confidence, it died; and where I turned the eye of my great faith, blood flowed up.” (Miller Act IV). The values and background Hale shares are his knowledge and position when it comes to high religion. Essentially, Hale is defining his title as a reverend by describing what he knows about religion.

The photograph is a very powerful medium. The French painter Paul Delaroche exclaimed upon seeing an early photograph “from now on, painting is dead!” (Sayre, 2000). Many critics did not take photography seriously as a legitimate art form until the 20th century. With the

Ever since the camera was invented in 1839, the very nature of photography has been questioned. With the increasing advent of photographic technology, photography has become an egalitarian expression of society and community. With one press of a button, an image is captured for eternity, bringing to question the inherent artistic quality of photographs. If we can so quickly capture an image, can this be deemed art? Art is to promote fantasy, and dream, to incite anger and joy. Thus, surely photography is an art, as seen through its capturing of beautiful verdant landscapes, and the horrendous

No matter it’s effect, photography was and is very pivotal throughout society. Photography can be a beautiful but yet haunting form of art. It displays an image which is characterizing

Photography for me as an art form provides a way in which to visit other people, and places without leaving my home. It allows me to witness the world and fall in love with different areas of the world. It is also one of the most concrete ways in which to prove the exists of an object, place, or person. A photograph, without alterations is a record of what is and what was.

Photography is a great source to have for reminiscing on your life. However, it doesn’t accurately depict reality. It has the ability to deceive society of what is really happening around the world and often times has become a “form of mental pollution.” It’s hard to grasp any form of knowledge that isn’t “sentimentalism” because pathos is being used more in pictures, and hiding the truth of the situation. For example, propaganda has been around for a long time. Its main purpose is to lead you to believe something that is everything but the truth. Thus, no political knowledge is gained because due to the fact that people accept the “the world … as the camera records it” because they think it does not harm. Life has to be experienced without

Photography gives you a small sample of reality, but these realities have been changed to what the photographer wants to present. However as Sontag stated, “Of course, photographs fill in the blanks in our mental pictures of the present and the past.” Pictures show proof that all of the history that we learn is true, but although it confirms that, pictures does not show us the entire picture of how people felt about the situation. For example, one might have a picture from WWII and show us the setting, but does that picture really show the feeling of the people? That is why we say that photography only goes as far as to how the photographer wants to show the

The new techniques influence and change those of the past, as one can also see the influences of the past in a new art form. This two way influence is also true for the effects of photography on painting and drawing and vise versa. While the invention of photography influenced the perspective and subjects of artists painting, painting also had an influence on photography. Similar to earlier art form, photography had to establish its value as a new art medium. Critics of photography felt that it too objective to be considered art and more suited as a science.

"A photograph is not merely a substitute for a glance. It is a sharpened vision. It is the revelation of new and important facts." ("Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History."). Sid Grossman, a Photo League photographer expressed this sentiment, summarizing the role photography had on America in the 1940’s and 50’s. During this era, photojournalism climaxed, causing photographers to join the bandwagon or react against it. The question of whether photography can be art was settled a long time ago. Most major museums now have photography departments, and the photographs procure pretty hefty prices. The question of whether photojournalism or documentary photography can be art is now the question at hand. Art collectors are constantly looking

For me, photography is dead. A picture has become not a photograph but a computer generated image produced from an input by a person. Nowadays people rely on technology to remember for them which creates a negative impact on how well they remember their experiences, photos are being manipulated in order to achieve desirable results, and new age photographers believe they hold the perception that professional photographers have. Ever since technology exploded photography has simply lost it’s soul.

The art of photography seems very simple today, all that is needed is a small device in one’s pocket, but 200 years ago that was not the case. Merriam-Webster defines photography as, “the art or process of producing images on a sensitive surface by the action of light” (Merriam- Webster 480). This process took a lot of steps to be discovered. As

Art is such an eternal concept and part of our lives. It lives on through generations, transcending many periods, and can speak through many mediums. Art is a way of expression, when nothing else can capture, but is something that can be interpreted in many ways. I chose photography—that which best portrays mankind, in that it hides nothing and only shows what is there to begin with. “It is the language most readily understandable to all and our most important form of communication among nations and cultures.”(Schuneman; Koner 59-60) Two excellent representations of this is a street

Photography was derived from the Greek word “photos” meaning light and “graphein” meaning to draw. Photography is a method used by vast amount of people today, to capture images through the reaction of light and sensitive material. Throughout time, photography has evolved due to technological advancements, making it available to almost everyone.

Between the use of film or digital photography, film is the more effective method when looking for originality and creativity. With the adoption of digital photography, the younger generations, as well as the older and more current photographers are becoming lazy. These groups must recognize that the art of the photograph is being jeopardized by the digital camera and the camera phone. For the current photographers as well as amateur photographers, this essay will serve as testimony to film as well as other chemical methods, and how they shouldn’t be ignored, but preferred. The digital era has had a massive impact on the art world and all of its mediums, but for photography this impact has resulted in the removal of the human from the photograph making process. This intimate process is what makes it an art form. All of films imperfections and unique qualities, as well as its monetary value and scarcity are just a few factors that have made it so precious. To replace this entire process with a microchip is offensive and undermines the importance of the process that is needed to make a photograph. Anyone can take a picture but you must make a photograph, and this skill is being simplified to a digital camera. The impact of the digital era on photography has hindered the process of making a photograph; painting the art form obsolete in today’s society.

The main question that Bourdieu proposes is whether photography is a transcription of the real world or an interpretation. This question holds importance due to the argument it makes through the explanation of photography by the way it is valued and judged based on the taste of popular aesthetic and artistic visions. Bourdieu argues that objective appearance of the world is socially constructed and changes depending on conditions and traditions our society is exposed to. Bourdieu states;