Photography and our Culture
Photographs manage to capture more than just one moment, for they contain a vast and complex part of history in one sitting. When they say that photos capture a thousand words, they fail to mention how profoundly deep this sentiment goes.
You can see this when you give a child an old black and white photo and the amount of detail they get to observe. They would be able to deduce what emotional state your parents were in when the photo was taken. It is surprising how much info on a photo can produce this way. Photography is an indispensable part of our culture. Here are other ways that show how this is the case.
Photography manages to carry lots of important sections of our culture. There is so much we communicate by the kind of photos we happen to be displayed at any given time. It will not take much also to notice what aspirations those present hold, and where they expect to head to in future. We shall always find ourselves taking photos of things we hold dear, thereby letting others know what those things are.
Photography also, have the power to shape the things we shall find important. We will photograph those things that we find to be important to us. This act has the reverse effect of shaping how well we enjoy what we are going through.
Photography is also responsible for aiding in our communication processes. When we show others the photos we took, we will be telling them certain things indirectly. This shall also be our way of revealing to them the things we find to be beautiful.
We may also shift the course of events in the world through photography. There have been several photos in our history that have made things change on the global stage at some point. there were photos that were so gruesome and profound that entire nations reversed their stands on certain policies regarding wars and aid.
We also see some importance in the things we use as a way of sharing those photos. We now have apps that make it easier for us to share photos we find interesting or meaningful in some way. Some apps can keep the photos for long, while others are designed for momentary sharing and then discarding. Some of them are serious and have a long-standing meaning, while others serve only to pass a quick message. These variations are not something new. Even in the past, you saw photos that were sagely kept for long, and others that were only used for one occasion. The only difference here is the influence of technological advancements.
We have so much more to gain from photography, especially when you think of examples like portrait photography and their meaning to us. This site has things you can read more on about them.