Introduction

Photography became a ‘threat’ to art on January 7 1839, when the daguerreotype was presented to members of the French Académie des Sciences, an invention that would change art and visual representations. Louis Daguerre had been experimenting with how to capture what he saw in his camera obscura since the mid 1820s. Once he had discovered the key to creating a daguerreotype, photography was invented, and became an issue for traditional art forms such as painting and drawing. Since then photography has evolved through techniques such as the calotype, ‘The first selfie‘ by Robert Cornelius, Pictorialism and even Henry Mullins’ Carte-de-Visit. It could be seen as a threat to the traditional art forms because, although in the early days of photography an image could take up to 3-15 to expose, photography was a quicker and easier way to capture moments and people. Robert Cornelius shot the first successful portrait in 1839, starting the trend for portraiture photography. There is a record of photographs of the hierarchy in society because it was expensive to produce images in the 1800-1900s. Photography removed the imagination from art as it opened up a broader idea of what it could be, revolutionising conventional art. How is photography an illusion? Photography can lie to its audience in many ways, from the Boulevard du Temple only presenting two people in the image, to Leap Into The Void, to photoshopped images, and even AI created photos. As a viewer, you will never know the truth behind an image without research into its creation, causing photography to lack truth and create illusions.

AI is a new form of technology that uses artificial intelligence to create text, images and sound. It is beginning to be used in art and photography to generate new kinds of art. Examples of AI are face recognition, Chat GPT, Google Maps and Ride, Chatbots etc. Photoshop Beta is a new app used to create AI on your images, easily accessed from home and used to create abstract photos. Will Lakeman uses this is his work to create fictional images, however using AI can create controversy for photographers. The question are AI generated images classed as photographs is prominent, and are the images created a lie? There are ethical concerns following AI and how powerful it could become. The so called ‘Godfather of AI’ Dr Geoffrey Hinton resigned from google due to his concern of its potential.

The two images that I have decided to study are Boris Eldagsen’s ‘The Electrician‘ and Robert Capa’s ‘Death of a Loyalist Soldier‘. They equally hold the power to be questioned based around their truth and how they were created, even though they were produced 86 years apart.

Photography was able to be manipulated before the digital age in many ways. From shutter speeds not capturing movement to darkroom experimentation, photographs have been manipulated since the beginning of photography. A key photographer that exemplifies manipulation in images is Julia Margaret Cameron and Pictorialism. At the start of the photography journey the process involved a lot of physical work using possible hazardous materials. She used a wooden camera that was large and inconvenient and placed it on a tripod. Her early portraits show how she experimented with a soft focus and dramatic lighting. She used a soft focus lens  which deliberately introduces spherical aberration in order to give the appearance of blurring the image while retaining sharp edges. It is created from lens flaws, where the lens forms images that are blurred due to spherical aberration. Her images included imperfections such as fingerprints, streaks and swirls. She also manipulated her negatives by scratching into them. This photo of Julia Jackson shows her manipulation in the background where she scratched a picture into the background. Her work is an example, demonstrating that images were manipulated and lied to the viewer from the early stages of photography, not only modern day digital images.

Image 1

“No tricks are necessary to take pictures in Spain. You don’t have to pose your camera. The pictures are there, and you just take them. The truth is the best, the best propaganda.”
Robert Capa, interview with New York World-Telegram, September 2nd 1937 (Capa, 1937)

My chosen Image by Robert Capa, Death of a Loyalist Soldier, made in 1936 is an intriguing example of how photos can lie or tell the truth. The image was taken during the Spanish Civil War and named “the greatest war photographer in the world” (Capa, 1937). The image leads its viewer to question whether it is staged or not, however the story behind it explains that Capa arranged a small band of militiamen to pose on a hillside in the village of Cerro Muriano, creating staged images of war. The soldiers were not fighting at the time of the photoshoot. Whilst he was photographing one of the soldiers, a bullet hit him as Capa took the image, resulting in a half staged image. After the photo became famous for capturing a sudden and horror-stricken death, Capa was criticised for creating a staged photograph, leading to many theories being suggested. It was his 1975 book on war correspondents The First Casualty that raised questions about the images authenticity. In an interview he also spoke about the time he spend with this particular soldier, and how he was nervous to climb over the sand banks for the image because there had been gunfire earlier. The theory lies that the solider was told by Capa to run down the hill and fall, unfortunately being shot by chance during the making. However many people believe it is not true and the soldier was just ‘falling’. This example demonstrates that photographs leave underlying lies/ truths, showing us that not only digital images are manipulated to deceive its audience. Personally, I believe this image was not staged and he was shot by chance whilst the images were being taken. I find this case really interesting and investigating the different theories has lead me to realise the questions raised through images produced not only today, but back when digital images weren’t existent.

Modern photography has changed the way images are produced, introducing new digital technology such as Lightroom, Photoshop and now AI. Photography’s truth is becoming less reliable and causes uncertainty on what is really true. Even image cropping is a form of twisting the truth and context behind an image because it doesn’t give a full view of what is taking place at the time. Kevin Carter’s ‘The Vulture and the Little Girl’ is an example of how images can not tell the whole truth.

The photo presents a vulture watching a starving child, giving the impression that it is a natural occurrence and nothing can be done to help. However the broader knowledge behind the image informs us that there was a United Nations feeding centre near by. Although the image leads to a conclusion that the child didn’t survive, the truth reveals otherwise.

AI is also a technique to create images that don’t have a relationship with photography. DreamStudio is a website designed to create images based on what you ask the AI to create. In a matter of seconds you can make multiple images based on what you have searched. Using AI like this detaches creativity from photography because it is not using your imagination to create a piece of work from scratch, but rather using technology to create it. However AI and photography can be joined, through using Photoshop Beta (like Will Lakeman) and make creative works that are time consuming and still using your imagination.

Image 2

Eldqagsen was awarded as a winner of the Creative Category of the Open Competition, however it was only after the award was given that he admitted to using AI to create the image. He declined the reward after admitting he purposefully hid his AI use from journalists. This caused issues surrounding the acceptance of AI in photography contests, spurring stories about how the World Photography Organisation took action to disclose the situation. the World Photography Organisation stated ‘We are interested in photography as an art form, and within the Sony World Photography Awards we have our Creative categories in the Professional and Open Competitions which welcome photographers to experiment and explore the dynamism of the medium. With technological advancements, a wider audience of creators are engaging with lens-based work and we look forward to seeing how this can expand the reach and impact of photography’ (Stewart, 2023).

Eldagsen’s primary question is ‘How does AI imagery fit into the world of photography?’

He believes that the basic answer is for photography competitions to have their own category.

 “That’s easy to do. And then, if you have photography competitions, in the end people need to prove that it’s photography. There are RAW files and a multitude of technical possibilities to do that. Just look at the World Press Photo Award.” (Stewart, 2023)

Personally, I believe this image is intriguing because through AI, Eldagsen has managed to create a highly detailed image that deceived the World Photography Organisation into believing it was a photograph. I don’t think that AI generated images can be classed as ‘photography’ because it is not created through a camera, however I do believe that AI could be the next new art form. On the other hand, I think that AI has the power to create images that lie and have the potential to create false accounts when it is so highly developed, which could cause issues in the media.

Conclusion

Can a photograph lie?

These two images are dissimilar due to the fact one is created form a camera and the other AI. However they both don’t tell the truth, causing its viewers to wonder what is actually taking place/ what is real. Both photographers distort the truth, and the comparison between the two show how photography’s way of lying has advanced over time, leaving a concerning future ahead. What could AI become if it gains a greater power, and how far with the truth be twisted in photography?

Overall I believe a majority of images created ,from the first image with people in, to photoshopped and AI generated images, have the potential to be named false. There are many aspects in photography that can support the argument that photographs lie such as

• cropping
• shutter speed blurring/ not capturing the full scene
• actors/ props
• photoshop and lightroom
• AI e.g. Dreamstudo, Midjourney, Photoshop Beta
• Changes made when developing in the darkrrom
• Scratchings and imperfections – Julia Margaret Cameron and Pictorialism

Reviewing this, I have come to the conclusion that these are aspects that contribute to what photography is, because nothing can compare to what the eye can see and witness in the exact same moment the shutter is released. I think the idea that there is no complete truth behind every image we see is part of what photography is, and it’s the creative imagination that needs to conclude a final belief about a certain photograph and the truth or lies it holds.

Bibliography

Stewart, J. (2023) Photographer Admits His Award-Winning Photo Is AI-Generated and Rejects Prize, My Modern Met. Available at: https://mymodernmet.com/ai-photography-boris-eldagsen/ (Accessed: 11 July 2023).

“The Falling Soldier by Robert Capa (1936) Story behind Perhaps the Most Well Known War Photograph Ever”

https://aboutphotography.blog/blog/story-behind-perhaps-the-most-well-known-war-photograph-ever