Can a Photo lie? Photos are used for many purposes from conceptual art to documentary are often viewed d as truthful without the viewing questioning what they are seeing. In a society which is becoming more an more reliant of visual images it is hard to tell what is real and adapted. We see a good example of this on Instagram where many influencers are known to adapt their photos to make them ‘perfect’ or visually satisfying. Although we may think this is innocent it does bring up questions about how more important images can be manipulated.

My choice: I chose this image by Jeff Wall named mimic taken in 1982 due to initial impact with striking colours and intriguing narrative. At a first look I was unsure if the image was documentary or tableau. As we look closer into the image we start to understand what is happening, the caucasian man in the denim jacket and red top is making a racial slur towards the asian man walking next to him on the pavement. The scene looks as though it was around the 80’s in America where at the time racism was still a big issue. I think this image perfectly displays a familiar scene from the era and highlights problems in the society at the time.

After researching this image I have discovered that it is tableau, taken in 1882 and based on everyday situations that he has witnessed first hand. It focuses on the ‘micro- gestures’ made by people which create tension in society. he calls the ‘cinematographic photographs’ in which he constructs photos styled like street photographs which actors to re create a moment of racial abuse which he witnessed. By making these photos he can show stories which would have been tampered with by the presence of a camera, and also makes them aesthetically pleasing to catch tension and draw people in to the true meaning.