Photography Representation of Reality

Photography Representation of Reality Introduction:- When we look into a photograph; we often tend to forget that this is not an image taken by a camera rather its a moment of a living being captured rather trapped forever. In china its a belief that photographs trap soul of a person; maybe its a myth or maybe its true also. Isnt it true that its stealing the very essence of your life for that particular fraction of time? A photographer or a painter tries to tell the entire story of life, happiness, misery, joy, patience, grace and all the possible human emotions encapsulated in one frame. This is the masterpiece which he tries to recreate his entire life. Photography emerged from Europe in early 19th century when concepts of positivist science came into focus. Positivism believes that the empirical truths can be established by visual evidence only. Empirical truths are facts that can be established through experimentation by recreating the circumstances for identical outcomes. In context of positivism the camera was taken to be a scientific tool for registering reality. Positivist theory believed that a photograph is not subjective to the psychology of the photographer but is subjective to the viewer who interprets the photo. Most of the time we see an image and we always co-relate it with ourselves , how it is connected to us what is the relation it has got with our lives; these are the general questions which comes in our mind while interoperating any image shown on newspaper, magazine or Television. Every image tries to tell some story behind it and it is mainly depends on person to person how they interpret it , because it could carry different meanings to the different people what kind of aesthetic values and taste they have got, what cultural, educational background they hold to understand its meaning and effects. â€Å" Photography transformed subject into object , and even one might say , into a museum object: in order to take the first portrait (around 1840) the subject had to assume long poses under a glass roof in bright sunlight ; to become an object made one suffer as much as a surgical operation ; then a device was invented , a kind of prosthesis invisible to the lens , which supported and maintained the body in its passage to immobility: this headrest was the pedestal of the statue i would become, the corset of my imaginary essence.† Roland Barthes (1982), Camera Lucida: Reflection on Photography: (Fontana Paperbacks).p.13 As said by Roland Barthes a French theorist; photography makes subject into an object and photographer always plays with his surgical devices like selection, framing and personalization to make it more attractive. It can be done through lots of technical knowledge and techniques. In this commercial world of advertisements, movies and magazines everything is sold by selling emotions shown in the images. The photographer has to perform as an art director who tries to sell the emotions through his graphical effects on masses. That is why success of famous brands and popularity of magazines and newspapers is mainly dependant on powerful images .The image values count on its being unique, powerful, strange, shocking, adventures, different, rare. According to Roland there are two levels of meaning of an image; a denotative and a connotative meaning of an image. An image can denote certain apparent truths. Denotative meaning means literal, descriptive meaning. However the same image can connote culturally specific meaning. Connotative meaning depends on cultural and historical context of the image which the viewers themselves have experienced. In other words its the viewers own interpretation of image based on their own experiences and beliefs in the cultural environment the viewer is living. Hence an image which is just a representation of reality actually invokes facts which are deeper than visible. â€Å"In Barthes model , in addition to the two levels of meaning of denotation and connotation , that is the sign , which is composed of the signifier and signified , which is the concept evoked by that word/image . in the Benetton ad, one interpretation could be that the burning car is the signifier and terrorism is the signified .The image (or word) and its meaning together (the signifier and signified together form the sign. Image/ sound word Signifier Meaning Signified = Sign†- Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright(2001), Practices of looking: An Introduction to Visual culture(Oxford: Oxford University Press), P.19 So every image has got one signifier and its meaning which we interpret is a signified which is equal to sign that means every image make us think what is the hidden meaning behind it, and most of the time photographer try to give that sign in that image or text which we see in newspapers, magazines or in television commercials. In still photography photographer try to give these effects by showing certain degree of subjectivity and objectivity it directly hits the conscious mind and also try to hit the sub-conscious mind of the interpreter. In most of the advertisement emphasis is given on masculinity and genders like Marlboro ads they always feature a cowboy going on a horse they both are signifier of power and masculinity, where a cowboy is shown on top of hill taking drags of cigarette on top of hill, Most of the under wear ads man is shown as powerful by showing features of his body and masculinity it creates a kind of attraction, but in real world who wears underwear is not alw ays as powerful as shown in these ads. People always try to co-relate themselves with these models. In female accessories advertisements model is always beautiful looking full of life wearing a good dress and using some products where they show she has become more beautiful after wearing certain product this image always leads to the kind of desire to look more beautiful. Photographer is always paid to create these kinds of powerful images to lure target audience. Still photography can create shock, adventure, fascination, disgust, anger, confusion. The photograph taken by weegee in 1940s image of a school children who see a murder in the street captured a fascination in that childs eyes which fascinates the interpreter in a same way the child is fascinated by that scene. Still photography of nude woman or a man is always a simple object of sex; there is no subjectivity involved. It does not give anything myth it is never shocking or adventurous it is just taken to create desire to have sex. Barthess concepts are particularly applicable on examining the photographic truth; however its not very much applicable on film images and television news images. As in those cases it is the music and the sequence of frames which decides the meaning rather than a particular frame. Ideology plays a very important role in how an image is perceived by a viewer. Ideologies are system of beliefs that exists in all culture. It is a broad, shared sets of values and beliefs through which an individual lives in sets on complex social relationships. An ideology gives the viewer the perception to view image of a partially filled glass as ‘half filled or ‘half empty. Ideology goes hand in hand with Barthes concept to denote the meaning of an image. Ideologies plays major role in interpretation of images it is different for different cultures based on their beliefs and values the way they live their life in particular society. One particular image can be adopted by one society or ideology but it could be taboo for another group of people. Like a picture of a pig on school books or images is very normal for one group of society but it could be understood as a taboo in Muslim Ideologies. In this case I can say perspective of the people differs from one society or ideology to another and this is a major fact how it is going to control the success of that image. Beliefs and set of rules is the major factor in interpretation of images and videos. â€Å"Photography is a kind primitive theatre, a kind of Tableau Vivant, a figuration of the motionless and made up face beneath which we see dead†- Roland Barthes (1982), Camera Lucida: Reflection on Photography: (Fontana Paperbacks).p.32 In old time people used to play the characters of the plays where they used to show their emotions by showing different expressions and the objective was to create drama in front of the public to bring out those emotions which was the requirement of the play but inside their make-ups and dresses they are not the same people which they portray in theatre .so as said by barthes Photography is also kind of theatre where people poses and try to imitate themselves by showing best out of them the full smiling faces if it is a photograph of a family everybody will stand closer to each other holding hands hugging and kissing so in photographs people try to show what meaning in should convey to the viewer it does not matter how much do they love each other or hate each other in reality. â€Å"Charles Pierce worked with a somewhat different model in which the signifier ( Word/ Image ) is distinguished not only from the signified (meaning) but also from the referent , or the object itself . In addition pierce defined categories of signs based on different kinds of relationship between signifiers and signified, for instance pierce made a distinction between indexical, iconic, and symbolic signs.† Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright(2001), Practices of looking: An Introduction to Visual culture(Oxford: Oxford University Press), P.20 Iconic and symbolic signs always plays a major role in Image world , For an example picture of mother and child always gives the straight meaning of motherhood , love and affection it is universal it is understood in all the languages and by all the people. Picture of famous actress Marilyn Monroe is an iconic symbol of sex and beauty since long time her iconic image hasnt changed. In every picture the reality and representation is not necessarily same some pictures the way they are taken and how a photographer represents it in the front of viewers is entirely dependent on his skills how he is going to personalize the particular event and by doing selection and framing how it looks like; Here comes the manipulation part every picture is not presented just as an object to create subjectivity he has to understand the right angle positions and framing. This thing is very common in commercial world of advertisements and movie making, director always target some audience and he raises certain issues to think what impact it will give after adding sound and visual effects and graphical effects. In silent movies everything is expressed by showing emotions and body gesture of the characters. In Advertisement of Benetton where a black lady is nursing a white baby gives direct impact of racism where in connotes lots of meaning to different group of people and every time t his picture says different stories some people might interpret it is based on unity, slavery or other general issues. In Advertisement of Hdfc bank they portray image of different people from different countries that means they are not catering one part of the world they are ready to serve people from different parts, cultural background and societies here comes the personalization. Every frame, color coding and background contributes to its meaning to different people. Manipulation of Images is very common now days so we cannot say that it is a piece of evidence , techniques are used to show the different things in different way emphasis is given how to create it more powerful the maximum impact on masses. The value of image is mainly its authenticity, true emotions, and hidden meanings. In television and news papers its value is how fast an issue has been covered and the channels those show the latest news or current events before any other channel becomes authentic news channel; so success of every news, advertisement or movie is based on its authenticity how it impresses viewers and how real it looks. Summary: To interpret images we need to examine the visual language the image is speaking. The image contains layers of truth and it relies in the viewers capacity to decode the language its trying to ‘speak. Reading and interpreting images is one way that we as viewers contribute by assign our culture to the interpreted meaning. Hence an image is a composite of subjective and objective meanings as said by Marita Sturken References: Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright(2001), Practices of looking: An Introduction to Visual culture(Oxford: Oxford University Press), P.20 Roland Barthes (1982), Camera Lucida: Reflection on Photography: (Fontana Paperbacks).p.32

Reaction Paper for the National Museum

When I heard about you asking us to visit at least two museums and make a reaction paper out of it, I was so excited, not only because I know that you can travel back in time but of course there's nothing feels like getting in touch with your roots but by having to experience or perhaps have a glimpse of how it was like. To tell you honestly, I haven't been in a museum in a while and to put it bluntly, I've never been to the National Museum since I was in Kindergarten wherein I can't understand a thing. I didn't realize that the National Museum is divided into three buildings, Anthropology, National History and the Arts. I was excited to see the Natural History because it is the one that is newly renovated and is famous for the â€Å"Tree of Life† which is the centerpiece of the said museum; unfortunately we were not able to see it due to the lack of time but I will definitely visit that one of these days. I didn't realize that the entrance in the museum is free; I wonder why not a lot of people enter it except those kiddos who were having their field trips. There are lots to see but there's so limited time. It would have been better if there's a guide or a curator to tour us around unfortunately they're busy with the field trip of the kids. Here are some of my snapshots of the museum. I don't want to discuss anymore what I've seen inside because everybody who visited it knows about it. What I want to discuss is how the message of how rich our culture is has resonated on me so much. There were so many goose bumps moments when I was touring around the Museum especially seeing the Spoliarium in person. I caught myself staring at its magnificence for around 5 minutes. I was absolutely amazed and mesmerized by it. I was in awe of it and the experience was really indescribable. I'm not sure if I was just emotional or over reacting or if it was really the feeling it creates for every nationalistic Filipino. I felt like having to experience the atrocities of the Spanish Regime. I can still remember way back in Grade School, I was really fascinated with the Philippine History. This piece showed the world how it was like to be a Filipino way back then. A masterpiece that is comparable to Picassos' Guernica in Spain. It was really moving as it showed the violence experienced by our ancestors. Surely it was used to incense the fire burned in the hearts of the Filipinos to fight against such cruelty. I wish someone will be commissioned soon to paint the effects of the Marawi siege, I'm sure it can be a great addition to the National treasury. On the other hand, I wonder why there were no paintings depicting the Marcos dictatorship. I hope that the National Museum was designed according to time or era so it will feel like just travelling back in time, maybe they want to put it together according to pieces. I was wondering how it was like if every artifacts in all of the museums in the country just like the ones in the Rizal and Aguinaldo shrines will be placed in the National Museum, it could have been a surreal experience for me. After everything I saw I can only conclude that we might be a third world country but our heritage and culture is undeniably rich and should be seen and appreciated by all Filipinos. After everything I've seen today, I can't help but be prideful of how rich our culture is and we should celebrate it just how like our neighboring countries like Thailand and Indonesia have preserved their cultures. It surely is the key to the secrets of our past and certainly defines us as a nation full of great treasures that can rival the best museums in the world.

Psycholgy exhibited in the film John Q Essay

When asked to find something in the media that directly relates to subject matter that had been discussed in our psychology class there were a couple of topics that came to mind. However, one stands out to me in particular, and that is a movie that I have seen recently called John Q. In this film Denzel Washington plays the role of John Q. Archibald, a man who will go to any lengths to keep his one and only son, Michael, from dying. During the movie, John and his wife, Denise, learn that Michael has an enlarged heart and needs an emergency transplant operation. On top of that, John has recently been reduced from full-time to part-time work. He can’t afford the operation and his health insurance won’t cover it, so he vows to do whatever it will take to keep his son alive. This obviously becomes an extremely difficult moral decision that Archibald must make. In the psychology textbook, there is very similar example to what occurred in the movie John Q, this example was used by a psychologist by the name of Kohlberg to conduct a moral reasoning experiment. The situation in the text tells of a woman that is near death with a special type of cancer, and there is only one, recently developed drug that could possibly save her. However, the druggist was apparently charging 10 times what it cost to make the drug, which is 2000 dollars. The woman’s husband tried to get all the money he could however came up short, and the druggist refused to cut him a deal, and therefore, leaving the man two choices, to either let his wife die, or steal the medicine. And like any good husband the man broke into the store and stole the drug for his wife. This above situation when described in class made me immediately think of the movie John Q, and is the reason this paper is being written. In the film however, the victim was a child who has barely experienced life yet, and measures for his survival were much more desperate. Instead of a just a simple pill or treatment this boy needed a new heart, and a matching heart with that, and without the proper insurance the transplant was near impossible. So, John took the matter into his own hands. He felt that his only option is to take the emergency room hostage until the doctors agree to give his son the operation that he desperately needs and find him a compatible heart. After locking himself, his son and a handful of doctors  into an operating room, the operation gets underway; however, a compatible heart still is yet to be found. Much of the time in this film is spent on the search for a compatible heart, and also John’s communication with the media and police outside the hosp ital like it is some sort of negotiation, when in reality what he wants is just a good life for his son. Nearing the end of the movie, a heart still cannot be found. So John is on the verge of killing himself so that his son can live. So he puts a single bullet into his gun and puts the gun slowly toward his head. At this point in the movie, it is revealed that the whole time John was holding up the hospital with an unloaded pistol. However, just in the nick of time, a donor is found and John’s wife runs hysterically toward the hospital to assure that both her husband and son make it out of that building alive. Eventually the heart reaches the hospital and the young boy survives. John is sentenced to something like 2 to 3 years in prison for holding the emergency room hostage. The movie John Q presents to the viewer in a very clear fashion what is known as an ethical vignette, which was introduced in the 80s by Kohlberg. As our class talked about rather extensively and the textbook touches on Kohlberg, was a famous psychologist in the early 80’s. His studies were primarily focused on moral reasoning, or the thinking that occurs as we consider right and wrong. Kohlberg also presents the idea of vignettes, or a perplexing moral situation where something morally wrong must be done in order to do what a particular individual sees as right or mandatory. Apparently in his research Kohlberg conducted an experiment where he asked people of various age groups to determine the morality of a situation, as well as what they would do if they were in this persons place. And from the responses that these people gave, Kohlberg could tell how well developed these people were intellectually. Kohlberg describes 3 stages of moral development in the text. They are preconventional morality, conventional morality, and postconventional morality. Each of these stages are usually achieved by certain ages however, some people may never fully develop into postconventional morality. In conclusion, I believe in John Q, what John did was totally in his and his families’ best interest, and is a perfect example of an ethical vignette. I  also believe that John thought on a very postconventional scale. He knew what he was doing was morally wrong and against his ideals, however, since the insurance companies are such bloodsuckers, he was left with no choice. However, he was looking out for the best interests of his family and himself and simply refused to let his son die. I think very few people are throw into a situation as drastic as this as quickly as John Q was in the movie, however, it just goes to show that there is no price for a human life and that hospitals simply shouldn’t deny care to those that aren’t rich. I feel that what John did in this movie was perfectly acceptable, and it played out very well in Hollywood however, in reality I think he would have been unable to single-handedly take a hold a whole emergency room hostage. But, i t still remains a very clear example of an ethical vignette. And is a perfect portal of the saying â€Å"desperate times call for desperate measures.†

The First Lightning The First Russian Nuclear Atomic Bomb

Two o’clock in the morning on August 29,1949 the first nuclear atomic bomb was dropped known as the â€Å"First Lighting.† It was dropped on the testing site in Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan. This nuclear bomb was produced by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) also known as the Soviet Union. Igor Kurchatov was the director of the scientific soviet nuclear bomb program. There were two practice rounds two weeks prior to the explosion. During these two weeks period the Special Committee on the atomic bomb sent Lavrentii Beria to go and watch the assembly work, and return back and show Joseph Stalin the Soviet leader, their progress. One of the main reasons for the producti on of this bomb was to teach the Soviet Union about the†¦show more content†¦He called and said ,Is it the same as the American one? The observer told him indeed it was the same as the other one. The bomb had generated up to twenty kilotons, which was about the same as the U.S. first atomic test, â€Å"Trinity.† A few months later the scientist that were responsible for producing this bomb won honors for their participation in creating this nuclear atomic bomb. Beria was later named the person responsible for what prize each person should get. The people who was said to be shot if the bomb was not successful, later became Heroes of Socialist Labor. And the ones that would have went to jail were honored as the Order of Lenin. One month later on September 23, 1949 president Harry S. Truman announces to America about the development of the nuclear atomic bomb. He stated, â€Å" BELIEVE the American people, to the fullest extent consistent with national security, are entitled to be informed of all developments in the field of atomic energy. That is my reason for making public the following information. 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