‘Photographed images do not seem to be statements about the world so much as a piece of it, miniatures of reality that anyone can make or acquire’. Susan Sontag (1971), On Photography
Photography has been around for many years since 1839, and has only developed more and more over the years. Many take photography as a glimpse of life, a small snap shot of someone’s life or their day, however it could tell a completely different story to what the actual scene was like. This is where we begin to wonder whether photographs can lie or not. Many people realised that photography was a very different approach to art as opposed to traditional art forms and captures more realistic moments. Traditional art like paintings and drawing have been around for many many years, with the first painting known having been made over 40,000 years ago. This make the technique very sentimental to some and also historically valuable. With photography being introduced it may feel as if the world if moving on and becoming more influenced by technology which people may not like. I think to some people this may be seen as a less valuable way to produce art than traditional art as it isn’t ourselves who have created it physically as well as it being a newer medium which people will always be sceptical about. Photography is also seen as being an illusion to many people as it is a frozen image of a moment in time that is only a snap shot memory. Many people don’t like the idea of this as it doesn’t show the full story and it only one specific perspective or angle of the actually scenario. For this exact reason many people find it deceiving and hard to comment on. In more modern days, as photography has become very popular and accepted partially, I believe that traditional art work and photography can coexist and even work together to develop further.
AI in photography has become largely used in recent years. It is the use of artificial intelligence technology to generate realistic images from a few words or to adapt original images to enhance specific parts etc. Whilst it can be used simply to help photographers improve the quality of their images or to try out different ways to edit them, it can also be used negatively because of its realistic outcomes. As AI is becoming more and more developed it has also created quite an up roar with many different people for obvious reasons.
Robert Capa, Death of a Loyalist Soldier, 1936 real
Above we can see an image which was taken in 1936 of a loyalist soldier who sadly passed away. To some people this image may seem staged or unrealistic, however, this image is completely real and was just taken at the exact moment the soldier was shot. The photographer had asked some of the soldiers to go out onto the field to ‘fake’ getting shot for some images, when all of a sudden the enemies took advantage and the soldier I the image was actually shot with Capa capturing it at the perfect time. Whilst this image is real it could be easily staged which is why many people doesn’t believe in many images as it is so easy to do or to edit these days to give the viewer one idea when the actually story is completely different. One of the few things that to me makes the image seem more real is the framing and focus of the image. When staging an image we may put the subject in the middle of the frame, however, in this image we can see that the soldier is off the the left hand side. Part of the soldier is also not in focus which is one of the key thing many photographers aim for, focus. As the soldier is moving it would have made it hard for Capa to produce a focused image whether it was staged or not especially back in the time that it was produced, however, I do think this adds to it.
Philip Toledano > Trump as a poor man
In this second image we can immediately see a difference. It looks much more digital and almost more like a very realistic painting as opposed to a photograph. Whilst this may be because it is a much newer image and photography without AI has deeply developed since, it almost looks too realistic to be true. there are a couple things in this image that I find give it away. I think that the burgers don’t look realists because of the way that they are stacked and they look as if they are plastic or another material rather than food. In the background we can see another employee who appear to have no face/ doesn’t look like a human. Whilst AI is very advanced it doesn’t always go according to plan which to me is a big give away to this image. However that single part of the image could have been edited whilst the rest isn’t etc. Finally, I think that ‘Trumps’ skin on his arms doesn’t look very realistic and again look almost like plastic. With that being said, the image still looks as if it could be real and just edited to improve the quality. This allows us to understand why people mistake Ai generated images for real images creating dispute.
Overall, I think that AI can be very deceiving and misleading causing people to interpret images in the wrong way. I think that images that are staged are a great example of how photography can lie as it is a mind game. They make the viewer think one thing but behind the scenes are completely different At the end of the day, I think it all comes down to how you perceive images differently and what we each take from them. Everyone will always have something else to say about an image or their own opinion to add as photographs are a very open style of art allowing the viewer to add their own thoughts to it. Not only do I think that images generated from AI can lie, but also regular images can too, as ultimately they are only a snap shot of a much bigger movie.
Hypothesis:Photography and Truth: Can a photograph lie?
Opening quote: to set the scene choose an appropriate quote from key texts or source that you have read and understood. Or select something Will Lakeman said in class discussion around ethics using AI in photography.
Introduction (250 words): Describe how photography from its invention as a new technology in 1839 was viewed as a threat to traditional artforms such as painting and drawing. Provide an overview of why photography (like all other art forms) is an illusion and a representation of reality (reflect on your essay earlier on the Origin of Photography). Explain what AI is as a new technology, and how it is already part of lives, give examples (Google, speech recognition, generative AI etc). Discuss both human and societal benefits and potential dangers of AI, again use examples such as Geoffrey Linton resigning from Google to bring awareness, or Sam Altman’s (CEO of OpenAI) being questioned by USA congress. Select one quote by either Linton or Altman and comment (either for or against). Introduce the two images that you have chosen as examples of the above.
The definition of photography is ‘the art or practice of taking and processing photographs’ but how do we know that the images produced are an accurate representation of reality? It is often viewed as a medium that portrays an objective reality, showing the truth of a situation captured within the lens. However the subject, framing and composition of a photograph are all shaped by the choices of the photographer which inevitably can change the ‘truth’ of the images. Whether the photographer has intentionally cut something out of frame, moved things around for aesthetic purposes or even staged the whole image all these factors will affect the veracity of these images. Early photography was viewed as an objective representation of reality but considering how far technology has come, from the creation of the first camera, this may no longer be the case. Aspects such as editing or even AI formulated images are more prevalent in images now then ever before. They enable photographers to be more creative and create their desired outcomes which many would argue, due to these factors, photography can no longer be seen as documentation of true events.
Robert Capa, Death of a Loyalist Soldier, 1936
Nowadays, photography is mostly digital, and photo manipulation is easily accessable for example on forums such as photoshop. However it was not always this simple, photographs used to have to be retouched by hand using paint or ink, pieced together in the darkroom from separate photographs which was tedious, time consuming and overall not as effective. Some of the terms we use for editing today were derived from the ‘old fashioned’ way such as airbrushing. All these skills required a the photographer to have a higher level of artistic skill than neccessary for editing images today and, for some, access to a darkroom.
The Falling Soldier is a black and white photograph claimed to have been taken on Saturday, September 5, 1936. It is said to depict the death of a Republican Iberian Federation of Libertarian Youth soldier, during the Battle of Cerro Muriano in the Spanish Civil War. The image was staged so does not depict an actual image of warfare and instead was meant to show a staged representation. However, this did not go to plan as they were in an active war zone and the man unfortunately got shot and died. This presents the question of whether this image truly portrays warfare as the staging of the image would make one think otherwise however the bravery in taking the risk to take photographs in an active war zone depicts an accurate representation of the risks these soldiers take on a daily basis in these dangerous places.
Jeff Wall, Approach, 2014.
The Canadian photographer Jeff Wall photographs are typically postmodern and manage to incorporate allusions to art history and the mass media into seemingly realistic scenes in an attempt to confuse any potentially documentary implications which has lead some people to purpose the question of whether he is a real photographer. He often was found creating a large-scale, fictional image that recall the grandeur and narrative of classical painting, Wall challenges the documentary role that photography often plays. But by mounting the image in a lightbox, his work also resembles imagery from cinema or advertising found in popular, contemporary culture.
This image displays a homeless woman standing over a makeshift shelter that appears to have another person living inside and was shot beneath a freeway that is a well populated spot for the homeless. Wall avoids answering questions about the authenticity of this shot and to what extent it was staged which makes it difficult to decipher whether this is an example of photography lying or not. On one hand homelessness is a large problem worldwide so the image is not creating a false representation however it is difficult to determine the honesty of this shot. This example relates to Picasso’s famous quote ‘We all know that art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realise truth.’ as the image itself might not be a truth but the representation of homelessness is a real issue so the image is making the viewer see the reality in that issue.
In conclusion, I believe photography can lie. This is especially considering the technology we have access to that enables almost any altercation to be added, changed or removed from an image. Although, I do not believe that all staged images are a complete deception of the truth as many are presented to display a truth in order to either have an affect on the viewer, portraying a point, or to try and influence a change. Looking back at the two images I previously referred to, I would say that the first image is a more truthful photograph as the photographer was more transparent about the staging behind the image and to what extent the final outcome represented the reality of what the photographers saw. This openness about the ‘behind the scenes’ of an image is very important when wanting images to represent the truth as how the photograph is made and the adaptations, edits or any kind of staging/framing that has taken place, as all of these aspects will inevitably effect the truth of the image.
I went to St Malo with the intention of taking images in the styles of Henri Cartier-Bresson and Jeff Wall, but also using my own style of slightly under or over exposed images.
Who: The people in the streets of St Malo
What: Streets of St Malo
Where: IntraMuras of St Malo, France
Why: To practice street photography
I made most of the images black and white, again in the style of Cartier-Bresson and Wall.
Boris Eldagsen. The Electrician, from the series PSEUDOMNESIA, 2022
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.
Julia Margaret Cameron
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
Robert Capa, Death of a Loyalist Soldier, 1936
“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
Boris Eldagsen. The Electrician, from the series PSEUDOMNESIA, 2022
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”
The word ‘photography’ means drawing with light. Which originates from the Greek word of photo. It was created in 1822 in which Joseph Nicéphore Niépce took the first image. I believe that photography can be viewed in two ways. Some people believe that photography should be considered as a threat to traditional artforms such as painting and drawing as photography takes away the human touch from each canvas. On the other hand, it can be viewed as a way to express the truth, as a raw image does not hide anything. The development of photography as we know it today started with the invention of camera obscura, this was a device which was able to project an image onto a surface. Camera obscura has been used as a tool for artists to use to allow them to trace images. However, this device does not permanently capture the image.
Artificial Intelligence, also known as Ai is the development of computer systems that can do things which would typically require human intelligence. Ai systems analyse large amounts of data and recognise patterns which enables them to make decisions or predictions based off of the data they have received. Ai has many benefits, and the main benefit is that it can help by advancing healthcare. This can be done as Ai can assist with disease protection, medical image analysis, drug discovery and many more. While artificial intelligence has many benefits, there are also many drawbacks, and challenges associated with its development, One of which being bias and discrimination. As Ai systems can become biased from the data they received while being trained. However, Ai is hugely used in photography to enhance and automate editing processes which is much faster and easier to do now compared to the times before the invention of artificial intelligence.
For example, In film photography, the darkroom was an essential part of the editing process. Photographers used various techniques to manipulate the exposure and contrast of prints. This involved adjusting the exposure time during the printing process, using dodging and burning techniques to selectively lighten or darken specific areas of the print, and applying filters to modify the color balance. And also, photographers or specialised retouchers would use pencils, brushes, and dyes to manually retouch and manipulate prints. This could involve removing imperfections, enhancing or softening details, or even adding or removing elements from the image. Making these types of processes take a long time, whereas now a days you are able to re touch an image in a matter of seconds using ai. in order to create multi exposure images photographers would expose the same film negative multiple times or combine different negatives which gives the effect or merged images together. The two images below are called “valley of the shadow of death” taken by Roger Fenton. Although both photos are very similar, there is one major difference and that being the cannon balls in the road. The area where the photo was taken was named valley of the shadow of death as it was well known for the continuous amount of bombing/ shelling which took place there. Film-maker Errol Morris went to Sevastopol in 2007 to identify the site of this “first iconic photograph of war”. He was investigating a second version of the photograph without cannonballs on the road and the question as to the authenticity of the picture. Hitherto opinions differed concerning which one was taken first, but Morris spotted evidence that the photo without the cannonballs was taken first. He remains uncertain about why balls were moved onto the road in the second picture.
The digital age has undoubtedly transformed the way photography is practiced and the potential for altering the truth within images. While traditional film photography also allowed for manipulation through darkroom techniques, the invention of digital technologies and software like Adobe Photoshop has made it easier to edit and manipulate images in more sophisticated ways. This has raised concerns about the authenticity and truthfulness of photographs. Programs like Adobe Photoshop provide powerful tools for editing and manipulating images. With these software tools photographers can adjust exposure, contrast, colours, and other things, as well as remove or add elements to an image. This has the potential for both subtle enhancements and more dramatic alterations that can significantly change the content and truth of an image. The image below is an Ai edited image of Donald Trump working in a fast food restaurant by Phillip Toledano. Toledano created this image using an Ai generated app, Midjourney. He believes that a photograph should be like an unfinished sentence. When creating these images Phillip Toledano focused on how Donald Trump portrays himself and generated the images to do the opposite. Trump has an obsession with showing off his his power and projecting his strength, however, the series of images which were made makes him look weak, and are degrading. This series of Donald Trump that Toledano created has no relation ship with either photography or the truth. However, it shows the creativity and skill that comes behind editing and the power that is held within Artificial intelligence.
In conclusion, I believe that photos can lie. This is due to the fact that as soon as camera is picked up you aren’t always getting the ‘full picture’ as the lens won’t be able to capture all 360 degrees of the frame, and that is before editing is even mentioned. It’s important to note that while digital manipulation raises concerns about truthfulness and authenticity, not all image editing is obvious and stand out. For example, ‘ Valley of the shadow of death’ looks as if the cannon balls were edited out. Many photographers use editing techniques to enhance the aesthetic quality of an image or to express their artistic vision. As viewers, it’s essential to approach photographs with critical thinking, considering the possibility of manipulation and understanding that images may not always represent objective truth.
Roger Fenton, Valley of the Shadow of Death, April 23, 1855Jeff Wall, Approach, 2014.
Hypothesis:Photography and Truth: Can a photograph lie?
Opening quote: to set the scene choose an appropriate quote from key texts or source that you have read and understood. Or select something Will Lakeman said in class discussion around ethics using AI in photography.
Introduction (250 words): Describe how photography from its invention as a new technology in 1839 was viewed as a threat to traditional artforms such as painting and drawing. Provide an overview of why photography (like all other art forms) is an illusion and a representation of reality (reflect on your essay earlier on the Origin of Photography). Explain what AI is as a new technology, and how it is already part of lives, give examples (Google, speech recognition, generative AI etc). Discuss both human and societal benefits and potential dangers of AI, again use examples such as Geoffrey Linton resigning from Google to bring awareness, or Sam Altman’s (CEO of OpenAI) being questioned by USA congress. Select one quote by either Linton or Altman and comment (either for or against). Introduce the two images that you have chosen as examples of the above.
“to collect photographs is to collect the world”, this quote references to collecting experiences and places in the world in a file as a whole, which in my interpretation is the internet, which gives access to almost everyone what is in this world, however it can be used to deceive people. Photography was a new invention founded in 1839 and was a celebration for some but a threat to others. Most people viewed photography as a break through, something that could be mastered as an art form, but it also threatened artists like painters, and peoples views on art. Although as time went on and photography became more popular, which could start making people money, it started to dive into negative areas of photography’s intention, for example “what made a good photography” which also means what photograph can make money became a strategy game for some photographers. People would stage certain photographs when good technology wasn’t round, and would create an image with those aspects in the way they wanted, and would make a “fake” photograph, so people who saw this would call this an illusion of reality because it wasn’t an image of what it was in the first instant, it was rather an image of how they wanted it to be. Now as technology grew so did photography and images ability to be completely altered. Artists had the ability to completely change what an image looked like, almost make up a whole new image, by removing and adding anything they wanted. This is completely altering reality now, by slightly manipulating an image, in context could put someone anyway for fake murder, or even create a perfect, beautiful image, the question of every image would start to be if it was real or not, or how real was the image. This became a bigger problem within the past 10 years now, such as photoshop and certain image editors, which with enough skill could create anything people wanted. But what is even worse is the invention of AI for photography, which could create any image in the world by using just text that you prompt the AI to do. This could be done even overlaying existing images or images you want the AI to edit. This invention created hands free photography, with no effort, its potential became scary for some people. Others like Geoffrey Linton who worked for google, who was a big part of AI and its ability’s had resigned in order to spread the awareness because of its creation, and that was for its creation in general, not just because of what it can do to photographs.
In the first image I have chosen “Roger Fenton, Valley of the Shadow of Death, April 23, 1855” it shows the aftermath of a war in Ukraine in 1855 at a deserted area of the battle field. in the image it seems to have used cannon balls and tracks used by vehicles. his image looks to be a landscape image to capture the hell of war, it uses techniques of lines and shapes and the placements of the materials work well. Although this image was a good representation of what the photographer was trying to capture, it was apparently said to be stages within some areas of the image. People had found an exact same image but except the cannon balls on the road where not along the road, some of them where in the ditches, and in the image shown at the top of this blog, there are cannon balls scattered all over the tracks. People say he done this to create more of an effect of what happened, and how he was capturing the violence of war. I find it interesting how there are no other figures in the image, and how it shows how docile death is.
In the second image I have chosen “Jeff Wall, Approach, 2014.“, this is because I like how it is something which you need to read about to fully understand its meaning behind it. This image shows a middle-ages black woman wrapped in a blanket , with an empty shopping trolley and some cardboard boxes. To any regular person seeing this image it shows an image of a dolcelatte person staring at a wall, with the image itself being in black and white. It is said (https://jeff-wall-contemporary-artist.tumblr.com/post/145276076751/approach-2014-this-a-piece-from-walls-latest) that this image depicts a variety of incidents revolving around themes of domesticity, property, separateness, territory and identity, which is interesting when u look at the image, as homelessness seems to be mainly between them through territory and who the owner’s of what areas. It also makes you think what made this person become homeless, drugs? Domesticity? Government? The image raises lots of questions but says a lot at the same time. (https://journals.openedition.org/ideas/5233?lang=en) It is said that “wall” (the photographer who took the image) took this image as a way for people to reflect on the world, like its politics, and what is has become, or for him to even spread the awareness of homelessness. He says that an image like this questions reality, mainly in photography to question what an authentic image is, and how real is it.
Photography, the first invention of its kind, served a purpose for this monumental invention that would later become so normalized that now billions of photographs are shared, produced, and reproduced all around the world. Its purpose was to capture precise details and the accuracy of what was seen by humans, offering a different means of capturing reality compared to existing methods such as drawing and painting. Louis Daguerre, who would later become known for developing the daguerreotype process, introduced a revolutionary method of photography. This groundbreaking technique was unveiled to the world in 1839, widely regarded as the inception of practical photography. However, Daguerre’s metal-based daguerreotype faced competition from William Henry Fox Talbot’s paper-based calotype negative and salt print processes, both of which were demonstrated in the same year, 1839.
From the text “The Pluto’s Cave,” I learned that the use of photography began in 1871 by the Paris police during the murderous roundup of communards. Since then, photographs have been regarded as the most realistic form of truth and evidence. In another article titled “The Pluto’s Cave,” I found an intriguing statement: “Photographed images do not seem to be statements about the world so much as pieces of it, miniatures of reality that anyone can make or acquire.” I agree with this statement because a photograph represents a specific moment and can never truly capture an absolute truth. Instead, it becomes an object that preserves that captured moment after it has passed.
Photography represented a significant advancement from drawing and other mediums. The fact that it was not created by a person’s brain and transferred onto paper, like drawing, but rather by a person clicking a button and the machine producing the image, made it more trustworthy and believable. People relied on the physical object and the technology behind it to produce the most accurate version of reality, unlike a person’s painting or other artwork, which could easily be altered. However, what many may be unaware of or tend to overlook when observing a photograph is that an image can also be manipulated. Even before the advent of modern technology, such as Photoshop or other digital photographic tools, manipulation occurred in the darkroom during the early days of film photography in the 19th century. Photographers would adjust lighting in specific areas, darken or lighten certain elements, and remove unwanted objects. Today, with widely used digital tools like Photoshop, the possibilities for alteration are even more extensive. In a text I have read, I learned that the process of manipulation begins as soon as we frame a person, landscape, object, or scene with our cameras. We make choices like selecting a portrait or landscape format, and then further manipulation can involve adding non-realistic filters, editing, altering, or cropping the image.
AI and modern image altering
However, in today’s world, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made a significant impact on society, including photography and image-making. AI refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think and learn like humans. It is crucial to recognize the influence of AI on photography, as it not only changes how people perceive photography but also challenges the authenticity of the images encountered.
AI systems rely on algorithms and computational models to analyze vast amounts of data, identify patterns, make decisions, and solve complex problems. However, it is important to note that AI can both assist and distract. It can expedite the editing process of images, such as color correction and enhancements. AI can also categorize images through image recognition and restore images by improving the quality of blurry or old photographs. However, the most astonishing aspect of AI is content creation. AI-generated images are based on pre-programmed instructions and blending millions of photographs within the system to create entirely new and fictional compositions.
It is important to understand that while AI brings numerous advancements, it will not replace the creativity and vision of photographers. Instead, AI serves as a powerful tool to augment and enhance their abilities, pushing the boundaries of what is achievable in photography.
In the early stages of AI becoming prominent, the authenticity of images begins to lose its meaning. Particularly concerning is the potential for AI to create false images. Although AI requires human input to generate images, it can quickly produce images that never existed before with just a few minutes of input. This poses a significant risk, as anyone, regardless of their artistic abilities, can create an image that represents events that never took place. Such images can have a profound impact on viewers, especially when they portray important people or topics. They can cause confusion and harm to various groups, while also being used as supporting evidence for a story. When such images are printed in reliable sources like newspapers, many individuals may unquestioningly accept their authenticity based on the trust they place in the source. Consequently, it becomes crucial to trace the origin of an image to understand its reality. However, in today’s modern world, with the abundance of altered, subjectively taken, and AI-generated images, discerning the authenticity behind them becomes increasingly challenging.
AI-generated images of Trump being arrested. Source: @EliotHiggins via Twitter
Many argue that documentary photography is the most realistic form of photography. This perception stems from the association of documentary photographs with capturing the truth. When these photographs appear in well-known media sources like the Discovery Channel or National Geographic, which have a reputation for “telling the truth,” people are more inclined to believe them. Individuals are more likely to trust photographs and videos depicting unfamiliar places or things they have not encountered before. For example, an American who has never traveled outside their country may have a limited perspective of what reality looks like based on their everyday experiences. Thus, they find photographs of an unseen area more believable. In the absence of personal visits, photographs and stories serve as evidence of the existence of those places. However, this is where questions arise, such as “Can we truly trust photographs?”
The truthfulness of a documentary photograph is not guaranteed solely because the photographer identifies as a documentary photographer. Multiple factors come into play when capturing photographs in a documentary context, and many people fail to realize that photographers, especially those working for prominent media companies, often focus on specific topics that are interesting and eye-catching. For instance, in an urban area of a foreign country, a documentary photographer may choose to photograph homeless or economically disadvantaged individuals. This does not imply that the entire area is exclusively populated by such individuals. However, due to the selective nature of documenting, we are led to believe a particular version of the truth—a representation of how a certain place appears without actually experiencing it. This does not mean the photographer is intentionally presenting a false view of the area, but the limited focus and selective approach can lead to misinterpretations.
Regarding the photographs themselves, although some documentary photographs are un-staged and capture spontaneous moments, providing a sense of authenticity, it is essential to acknowledge that purposefully staged photographs can also be included in documentary photography. How a photographer frames a shot, how they choose to edit the photographs by cropping, altering, or adding filters, contradicts the notion of complete authenticity. On the other hand, unedited or raw photographs may not grab viewers’ attention as much as edited ones. One might be perceived as more realistic than the other, although both depict the same subject. The intentional alterations made during editing aim to create a certain mood and elicit specific emotional responses from viewers, something that an unedited photograph may not achieve to the same extent.
Past Image altering
Robert Capa, Death of a Loyalist Soldier, 1936
Above is an image by Robert Capa, depicting a Spanish soldier on the front lines of the Spanish Civil War. This photograph is Capa’s most famous work, gaining popularity due to allegations that it was “faked” or staged. The story goes that Capa was tasked with photographing soldiers during the civil war. However, since there was little action at the time, Capa allegedly asked the soldiers to simulate being shot. Unfortunately, as the soldiers emerged from their hiding spot to act out Capa’s request, they were spotted by the attackers and the soldier in the photograph was actually shot. This event highlights that as early as 1936 (and even earlier), photographs were not always true representations of reality. While photographers were limited in their ability to alter images, they could still manipulate the actual events captured. This manipulation could involve asking subjects to act or pretend in certain ways. Although the truth behind the image raises questions about the authenticity and harshness of war, the photograph remains impactful in delivering its message. Without knowledge of the story behind it, viewers will see what is presented to them. However, understanding the meaning behind the image can change a viewer’s response. Nevertheless, the initial emotional response a person experiences when looking at a photograph remains valuable.
Pablo Picasso Famously said “art is a lie that makes us realize truth” my interpretation of this quote is that art being created by a human, and being created by another person, whatever it is they create, photographs or paintings, that will be a representation of that persons reality. However, usually why artists do that is to make more people feel what they have felt, representing their own reality. These feeling are potential triggers to another persons truth and are truthful to them.
In the texts I have read, I found myself intrigued by several questions. One of them is whether manipulation is the first association that comes to mind when people think of photography, and what implications this has for the value of a photograph as a reflection of reality. Additionally, there is the question of what an authentic photograph really looks like.
Defining a “real” photograph proves to be a challenge because, on one hand, an image can become a physical object once it is printed. However, when it is viewed, it is displayed on various devices, which introduces another layer of transformation and interpretation. This ambiguity arises from the subjectivity of what the image represents. There is no definitive way to determine what a real photograph is in absolute terms.
While a photograph may strive to capture the essence of reality, it is ultimately influenced by the photographer’s vision. The photographer’s interpretation and creative choices play a vital role in shaping their version of reality within the image. Therefore, an authentic photograph can be seen as a representation of the photographer’s perspective and their unique interpretation of the world.
Influence of images
In today’s world, the problem of images representing a false reality and being perceived as the truth is becoming increasingly common. For example, when planning vacations, people often come across edited photographs that misrepresent the actual appearance of destinations. This creates a disconnect when they visit these places and find that the reality doesn’t match what was presented in the photographs. Alterations in colors, timing, and mood can change the perception of a place in images, but the place itself remains unchanged.
The widespread dissemination of non-truthful images across media is a growing concern, particularly for younger generations. Altered images of celebrities and models create unrealistic beauty standards, impacting individuals’ self-perception. For example, in magazines like Vogue, significant alterations are made to photoshoot images. This manipulation leads viewers to believe the edited version represents reality, unaware of the original photograph’s appearance. While cameras capture reality, photographs can be altered, highlighting the need for critical media literacy.
In the case of photographs from the same shoot featuring Lady Gaga, there is a noticeable difference between the image on the left and the image on the right. While lighting and angles play a role, the significant alteration occurs through editing and other forms of manipulation. Many individuals, without seeing the original unedited image, might assume that the edited image on the right is unaltered, as they are unaware of how the original photograph appeared. Thus, while a camera can capture reality, the reality portrayed in a photograph can be altered through manipulation.
According to the website https://movableink.com/blog/29-incredible-stats-that-prove-the-power-of-visual-marketing, our brains are naturally inclined towards visual information, with 90% of the information processed by the brain being visual. The human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text, taking only 13 milliseconds to process an image. This explains why incorporating images into different platforms, including newspapers, can enhance storytelling and aid in better comprehension. Due to the brain’s quick processing of images, people tend to accept them without much questioning. As a result, social media platforms, in particular, often see the circulation of false images due to the tendency to accept visuals without scrutinizing their authenticity.
Hypothesis:Photography and Truth: Can a photograph lie?
“Photographed images do not seem to be statements about the world so much as pieces of it, miniatures of reality that anyone can make or acquire.” (Sontag, 1977)
Photography is a way to demonstrate how people view the world. It started off with the camera obscura and making images in dark rooms. Photography has now advanced to taking photos on digital cameras and even being able to crate mages with Artificial Intelligence (A.I). When we were first introduced to photography, artists saw it as a threat as they thought that photography removed the personal touch from making images. Photography is an illusion and a representation of reality just like all other forms of art. Images can be manipulated to hide the truth from the audience there have been many cases of this seen through the years. One of the most well-known examples is the ‘The Struggling Girl’ by Kevin Carter. This image didn’t show the full scene and caused controversy when the world found out. It mislead people in to thinking that the girl was going to be taken by the vulture and that Carter just took the image and didn’t help. In reality, out of the frame there was a feeding centre that the girl was making her way to. Photography now has a new technology called Artificial Intelligence which is rapidly making advances for example, Siri on iPhones and chat GPT, where you can get an instant response. There are many benefits of using A.I such as it gives you an immediate response, there’s a reduction in human error, decisions are unbiased, and they can perform repetitive jobs that people don’t want to do. However, as A.I advances it is becoming more dangerous to society for example, Geoffrey Linton who was known as the ‘Godfather of A.I’ resigning from Google. When speaking to the BBC he stated that AI chatbots were “quite scary” as he expresses his concerns about the “existential risk of what happens when these things get more intelligent than us” (Taylor & Hern, 2023).The thought of AI becoming more intelligent than us is a scary thought as there is a possible risk to humanity. The two images that I have chosen to demonstrate how images can be manipulated are “The Valley of the Shadow of Death” by Roger Fenton and Taj Mahal and train in Agra by Steve McCurry
‘The Valley of the Shadow of Death’ Roger Fenton
Photographers have been manipulating their images before the digital age. There were very basic methods such as using scissors and knifes to cut negatives out of the image and then reproducing it or using opaque watercolours to go over the image. Images could also be manipulated in dark rooms by using methods such as dodging and burning and masking. Photographers also used double exposure techniques where they would place two or more exposures on top of each other to create a single image.
A case that I have studied to demonstrate how photographer hide the truth is ‘The Valley of the Shadow of Death’ taken by Roger Fenton in 1855, which is possibly one of the oldest staged images. The image displays the Valley with cannon balls rolling down the path/road this left people questioning did Fenton place the cannonball in the road? There are two images one with cannon balls on the road and one without. to create the final image Fenton made two exposures from the same tripod position. The first exposure was taken with the cannonballs to the left of the road but before taking the second photo, he oversaw the scattering of the cannonballs on the road. The image intrigued documentary film maker Errol Morris as he went on to further investigate the image, publishing a section in the ‘New York Times’ called “Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg”. Morris interviewed many historians who had different views on whether the image was staged or not. This left Morris unsatisfied by his findings so travelled to Ukraine where Fenton took the image. When at the location, Morris and Dennis Purcell (an optical engineer) noticed a group of five small rocks that were positioned lower than they were in the photo with the cannonball is the road. This led Morris to come to the conclusion that the photo was staged as the rocks had moved by gravity. (Zhang, 2012)
The investigation carried out by Morris shows the length that Fenton and other photographers are willing to go to get to his final image and conceal the truth. Overall, I think that the image has been manipulated in some way as the placement of the cannonballs on the road look ‘too good to be true.’ Whether Roger Fenton moved the cannonballs himself or used multi exposer to fake the placement of cannonballs in the road.
‘Taj Mahal and train in Agra’ Steve McCurry
As technology has advanced it has become easier for photographers to stage their images and conceal the truth, by using many apps, eg. photoshop, AI tools eg. ‘Dreamstudio’ and using actors in their images, to create a perfectly timed final image. In a case that I have studied ‘Taj Mahal and train in Agra’ by Steve McCurry it depicts a steam train with two men on it, with smoke coming out from the under the train as it goes past the Taj Mahal in the background. Teju Cole states in an article from The New York Times Magazine McCurry’s images are “astonishingly boring” (Cole, 2016) because of how staged they are and look. It is clear when looking at the image that McCurry has staged the image as the timing of the image creates ‘a too perfect picture’ (Cole, 2016). A lot of McCurry’s work has been taken in India, Cole argues that McCurry is portraying India as a country that hasn’t moved on with the modern times whereas, people can argue that McCurry wants to explore vanishing cultures. When I first saw the ‘Taj Mahal and train in Agra’ it drew me in as I wondered how McCurry had timed taking the image so perfectly however, after some further research into the work of Steve McCurry I found that most of his work has the same persona and are staged in some way.
In conclusion, I think it is evident that photographs can lie as both of my case studies demonstrate how photographers manipulate their images in various ways to conceal the truth. We as viewers don’t get to see what is happening outside of the frame – we only see what the photographer wants to show us and so we are left to interpret the image individually.
Bibliography
Cole, T., 2016. A Too-Perfect Picture. The New York Times Magazine, 30 March.
Sontag, S., 1977. On Photography. 1st ed. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Taylor, J. & Hern, A., 2023. ‘Godfather of AI’ Geoffrey Hinton quits Google and warns over dangers of misinformation. The Guardian, 2 May.
Zhang, M., 2012. PetaPixel. [Online] Available at: https://petapixel.com/2012/10/01/famous-valley-of-the-shadow-of-death-photo-was-most-likely-staged/#:~:text=After%20reaching%20the%20much%20shelled%20valley%20approaching%20Sebastopol,scattering%20of%20the%20cannonballs%20on%20the%20road%20itself. [Accessed 5 July 2023].
