Lecture 8: The Photograph as Document

In this lecture the topic of photography being used as a form of documentation was discussed. At first I didn't think I was going to get much from this presentation, but I was proved wrong and I was glad about it. Photography is something that I have always associated with capturing and documenting the things in life that mean something to the photographer, whether that be an issue they are trying to raise awareness for or just simple enjoyment of something. I have also always known that Photography can be used as a very powerful tool in helping to get peoples attention on important issues that are occurring throughout the world, as it provides people with the opportunity to see an event as it happens. And this is exactly what people were doing with Photography when it first came about, as it was a lot quicker and a lot more accurate to photograph an event than it was to stand there and paint it.

However, photographers weren't unaware of the creative possibilities that came with being able to capture moments instantly. Many photographers were beginning to realise that they could create messages just as powerful as before by using staged scenes rather than capturing the moment as it happened. The most powerful example we were shown throughout this presentation was Don McCullin's Shell Shocked Soldier (1968). McCullin staged this entire scene in order to convey the damage of the war that was happening at the time. I can't argue that it doesn't send across the same message as the image below which was taken in 1916 of another shell shocked soldier, because it does just that, I might even go as far as saying the staged image effects me more than the 'in the moment' image because there appears to be a lot more emotion within that image and it is a lot more atmospheric. With this new found creativity being used throughout photography it became aware that photography was and still is a very powerful tool at portraying a message on a large social basis.

Don McCullin's Shell Shocked Soldier

Shell Shocked Soldier from 1916

During the lecture a point about the photographer being unseen within the photographs caught my attention, as it is a similar situation for animators. Similarly to the photographer, the animator sits behind the scene and creates something for others to look at without actually being present themselves. It was brought to attention that the presence of the photographer within the picture had an effect on how the picture was perceived, which is also the same case within animation.