We all know the saying that a "picture is worth a thousand words." Reflecting on what we know about past people and events, photos certainly have helped us put a face to the story. Do you think that photography played a role in shaping our world today? Did it change/affect history? How might it affect our lifestyles in the future? Use specific examples to support your opinions.
Post a paragraph with your thoughts and respond to two of your class mate's postings, at least 1 paragraph each.
Due on the day of Roll 4's due date.
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ReplyDeletehotography has served its purpose in being the window to the all that we cannot see. Even as students studying history, photos have allowed us to further explore the times of our studies by giving us a picture to match the faces, names and dates that we are exposed to. Whether they are from the past, present or even in some cases predictions of the future, photos give us a gateway to people, places and events that we would otherwise not be able to experience in any way due to various barriers that may exist such as distance, time, technology. In the past, subject of the world's most famous photos may never have realized the impact that their image had at the time or would have in the future. Now because we are all aware of the impact that media, especially images, has on the world today and because of this we are all conscious of preserving our current events so that they can later serve as a window to our time for those in the future.
ReplyDeletephotography has changed the history alot, first ww2 photo influnced our views jews, they helped us decied the faith of nazi.in the ww2 they have toke photos of nazi killing jews, and if the photos were not there then we would never had the knowledge, i mean the milatry people would know but the people of different race in diffrent wouldn't know it untill they see the pictures. also during the trail for nazi, to show evendiec of them killing others they showed picture of the jews.
ReplyDeletemonice is right because the everyone is not going to place where histroy happen so the photo is the window to history for us.
- bimas
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ReplyDeleteI agree with what Monica said in that window is indeed a window into what we cannot see. During my research of Dorothea Lange for the booklet project, I found a quote by her that expresses it well. She said, "The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera."
ReplyDeleteWhen we were watching that history of photography video in class, they told about how with the invention of the Brownie came a broader perspective or the world for everyday average people. It let them know what was going on elsewhere, when they couldn't go see it for themselves. People have become more accepting of different cultures and places, and more aware of the disasters in the world that need fixing. Absolutely, photography has shaped history in a big way and for the better.
Photography reminds us the events that occur in the past. For example, we all know the famous photo of the raising of flag in Iwo Jima (http://www.iwojima.com/images/main_small.gif). One of the reasons why the American invasion of the Japanese occupied island of Iwo Jima was so memorable famous was because of that very picture. Had the picture no been taken, most likely, the invasion of the island would have been forgotten. The fact that just one mere photo has this kind of affect on us shows how powerful photography is in shaping our knowledge of history.
ReplyDeleteBesides the raising of the American flag in Iwo Jima, we all know what happened during the Holocaust. It is photos like this (http://warrensburg.k12.mo.us/ww2/holocaust.jpeg) that makes the Holocaust that occurred more than half a century controversial to this day. People speak of the horrors of the Holocaust. And had it not been for the photos taken during that period, those who has not personally witnessed the Holocaust would have had no real clue as to how horrible the event was; we would only get a sense, an image, a thought but no real concrete idea. Eventually, those who have personally witnessed the event would die, and once this occurs, all memories of the Holocaust would be forgotten; the event would be forgotten and history would have been forgotten. Photos ensure that the Holocaust memory remain alive even after direct witnesses die.
All in all, photography reminds us of the events that occurred the past and ensures that history will never be forgotten.
Yes, the example that Dennis pointed out to is good. People wouldn't had had recated the same way if they weren't showed photos of what was happening, how people were being treated. If they would imagined it, their image woulnd't have had been close to what was really happening. for the fact that there were photos taken, even we people that didn't lived throught that period have the oppotrunity to see what those people went through.(I personately wouldn't have wanted to see them, they are very depressing)
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt that photography has definitely changed history. Take textbooks for example. Just reading about an event, say the Civil War, and looking at the number of deaths is nothing compared to the impact of seeing the bloody pictures. An actual visual photograph brings a story from the sentences that words cannot.
ReplyDeleteI like Monica's comment about the several barriers separating us from history. Photography is an efficient and influential way to inform people of what's happening in the world around them. Without vivid, detailed pictures, how would we know what's going on a continent away? Also, I agree with Dennis' idea of forgetting history. A quote from the philosopher Santayana:"Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it"
Photography has shaped our world today by allowing us to capture images of everyday life and the marvels in it. Although photography has a great impact on life, it hasn't really changed history because the camera and developing photos has not changed the way we live life.Photos only capture images, not persuade people to opt for change, and for that photography will remain only an art form. I think photograohy in the future will further let us express ourselves in ways we can only imagine. Photography styles such as 3D will shape the future of photography.
ReplyDeletePhotography has definitely shaped our society today because it represented what life was like in the past. The example that Dennis used definitely is a good example for the reminder that history has made on society. A picture captures a moment in time and helps people reminisce on moment's past. And similar to what Cory said, when people look at images that capture moments from the past, the visual image helps the audience to understand the significance and helps to explain why the author pictured an image to capture that moment.
ReplyDeleteIt may affect our life in the future because people in future generations will understand the important moments of our present day. Pictures can tell people how the author was feeling, and a good way to express emotion without necessarily using words.
A picture is worth more than a thousand words. The invention of the camera and photos in general has changed the way we see the world. World War II was the first war in which cameras were used commonly. Everyone could see all of the destruction that war causes. It deterred people from entering a Third World War. Check out some of these pics and see how they make you feel.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.world-war-2.info/pictures/
YEAH THATS RIGHT!!!!
I think that photos has shaped our world and time today. Photos that show a story can show things that people cant usually see, like what Monica said. Lots of photos during wars and major dilemmas can show what is really happening and the real pain that others cant see. Photos have shown people about places and problems while they, themselves have not been there. Like Wendy, the textbooks show photos of things that have happened in history and we read about it. We don't get the full effect unless we see it and see the truth. In my history class we are given a picture, and we have to find the story and the true meaning behind the photo. Most of them were of wars and people preforming actions that have an impact of the war. And like Dennis said, if we didn't have photos of battles that took place a long time ago, then we would have forgotten them over time. “Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” That is a quote said by Aaron Siskind. One photo can capture a story and hold the story forever, making sure that no one forgets what it is trying to say.
ReplyDeleteNikki is so right in his claims. Photo has not change the way we lived, so, it doesn't change history. We don't change our lifestyles just for photography.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Denis' perspective that photography changed history because photos remind us of historical events.It can be argued that this statement is true, but in my opinion, photography cannot change history by simply reminding us of events that happened. That is like taking credit for what someone else did.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Madan's comment when she said that photos during WW2 influenced our views and opinions on jews and nazis. Although photography did influence our opinions and views, it cannot possibly change history by doing that. History is made by events that impact the world and change the lives of others, not changing our perspective on other people.
Like what Wendy said is also true. Textbooks all have pictures documenting history. It is similar to what I said, so thus it is correct. haha
ReplyDeleteyes because in the past we didnt have digitalaphy, we didint even have cameras. everything started off with paintings.there was no single inventor to photography, it just evolved and became something people did....years later they came up with digital photography. then they learned how to format and change and edit their photos.and eventually photography wasn't as praised as it was . now it's just an every day thing.....who knows maybe the next big thing will be automatic animation digital photography?????????????????
ReplyDeletePhotography has absolutely 100% changed history. Without it, what pictures would be in our textbooks? In our photo albums? There would not be any, and you would lose more than millions of memories every day. If I did not have a camera, I would not be able to capture life's finest moments. Without photography, many of the world's best - and worst - events would never be able to be seen. People would have to depend on their ever-fading memories for so much more, and the world would not be able to remember quite as much history. Pictures taken of the Twin Towers falling would not be here today, and people who were not there could not see or understand the true painfullness of the stiuation. Photography has certainly played a role in getting to the point we are at today. Without photography, we would not have visible evidence that any sort of events happened. Photography has certainly changed how we live, because how many of us do not have a little camera we can take to special events in our lives - without the invention of photography, these circumstances would not exist.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Wendy - actually seeing the effects of an event in a history textbook is much more powerful than simply reading about it. I also like what Monica said about preserving our current events for the future. I think this is exactly what photography should be used for - to show generations in the future the hardships and happiness we have experienced in our lifetimes.
One. A picture is not worth a hundred words. It's actually worth a few million strings of hexadecimal characters.
ReplyDeleteTwo. Photography has truly revolutionized history. There is no better tool for capturing the moment. There is a reason why history textbooks have loads of photos, whereas fictional novels do not. This is because history classes need to accurately share the events of the past, and photography does that adeptly, whereas novels wish for the reader to use their own imagination. However, the question here asks, "Do you think that photography played a role in shaping our world today? Did it change/affect history?" which makes the novel part irrelevant. Photography has forever revolutionized the recording of history and past events.
IN RESPONSE TO WHAT NIKI SAID,
Photography has actually changed the lives of many people. Like how photography can record the history of the world, it can also help to record the history of a family, such as in photo album. Actually wait. Upon reading Niki's statement again, I am confused. He first states that it HAS a great impact on life, and THEN he says that it HASNT changed the way we live. What? Also, photos of controversial subjects may very well cause change.
I agree with Cori. Though photography may or may not be permanent, it has indeed been helpful in capturing moments that live on for a respectable length of time. Visual power is the most powerful of them all.
To demonstrate this point: there was once an "experiment" arranged for some prestigious wine tasters. In the experiment, some white wine was dyed red. All of the wine tasters were tricked.
For one thing, this question is kind of ridiculous, because photography has affected more facets of our lives than we can imagine. Think of SEM microscopes, which can record pictures of tiny cells that scientists can study. Think of satellites, which take extremely high-definition photographs of our Earth. Think of the effects that photographs taken by government planes on flyovers have had on military strategy. Of course, as everyone else has mentioned, photographs in newspapers and textbooks are incredibly useful for educating the public.
ReplyDeleteThere are surely countless other examples that I have missed; photography is a very influential technology in the modern world. I can't honestly believe that anyone cold think otherwise.
michael is alwayse incorrect and steals examples from everyone else. it seems as if everyone uses ww2 as an example. what the frick. be original. please not. To acctually answer the question i think that photos can capture a moment accurately but i dont think that it acctually has the ability to change history. ill post more later
ReplyDeletePhotography plays a huge rule in so many aspects of life that we come in contact with every day including advertising, It has been used to document family milestones, capture unknown beauty, reveal the ugliness and reality of the world, advertisements of all sorts and create rumors by stalking celebrities. No innovation in media has been as revolutionary as the photograph because phoography is what film and television are based on. Photography has completely changed how we percieve ourselves and the world at large. Like Wendy and many other classmates have said using war photos as an example, pictures that we have seen of the destructions of war have much more of an impact on us rather than just reading about the horrors of war.
ReplyDeletePersonal photos capture a special moment from an angle that only the photographer has seen in exactly that way. Photography allows people to share their point of view. Everytime a photographer sees their photograph, they are taken back to that moment. They re-experience all the details of their surroundings in that photo. I cannot fully explain how significant photography is to history and our future. It provokes opinions and ideas and effects everyone, which is a reason why it is so important.
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ReplyDeleteI disagree with what Niki said,that its only an art form and that it can't inspire change. Many people have been inspired by photographs like the one from china of a lone man standing in front of a line of army tanks.He was never seen again and i know i have and many others have been inspired by that one photograph. There are countless other photographs from third world countries of the Holocaust and the World Trade Center just to name a few. Photography is worth a million words when it comes to inspiring and will continue to inspire millions. anthony
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ReplyDeletei agree and disagree with michael. because if you think about it ,it changed the way we used technology photography wise therefore i would have to still say yes. because if we didnt have the digital cameras we use today there would be no way we could restart or retake the picture. and we would not be able to delete them either .i agree with you michael because it hasnt changed us economically health wise or personally. for personal reasons,if we had a problem we couldnt snap a shot of it and delete it. same with health,if you had cancer as an example,you couldnt snap a shot of what body part has cancer and delete it. econimically....well you get the idea ........hopefully. but you do come up with very got conclusions as to why digital photography hasnt changed the way we live and grow...etc.. you know what actually now that i think about it it doesnt really help us a t all. because unless your getting paid for your photo's and virginia the SEM thingy ma bobbers, yes that is one benefit from phtography but it cant....wait if you think about the cat scans, we wouldnt really have that without photography. cat scans and x rays....you know what i am on and off i cant decide i would have to say yes and no....?????????!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI believe that photography can shape the way people view the world. I would have to agree with Monica in that being able to capture a certain image or see a very powerful image makes you think differently. For example, when I was researching about Tony Rocco, some of the images i saw just opened my eyes. They showed the difficulties that Colombians face yet they can still be happy and positive. There was one image that really shocked me. Its a photo of two boys, kinda dirty, without any shoes and they were standing by a barbwire fence. (http://www.inliquid.com/artist/rocco_tony/rocco.php)
ReplyDeleteI believe that photography, like Anthony said, can inspire many to make a change or to rethink their position in a certain topic. For Example, I'm sure many of us have seen the photo of the monk setting himself on fire in protest of the government put into place by the US during the Vietnam war. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/forthisiwenttocollege/2960735314/) Its a very powerful picture and it shows how US involvement in other countries truly affects the people there. Also, I'm pretty sure we have all seen the commercials for the ASPCA or St. Jude's Children's Hospital. We see those photos and want to do something to help. How many of you have actually considered donating money? How many of you want to cry when you watch them? Or how many of you change the channel because its too much to handle? I do all of these things. That's why I've actually gone and did community service for children who have heart problems. Pictures can ignite something within inidividual which can spark a drive to do something great. To make a change!
Here is my take on how events in the world have been affected by photography. One thing for sure is that photography has influenced the media quite a bit, which in turn influences the world and events that have occurred. Photography has allowed people to raise opinions and ideas based on photos that show what is going on in the world, whether it be Britney Spears going bald,or a scandal pulled by the mayor of NYC. Also to cluelessjoe09, I'm pretty sure that's a video, not a photo. To Cori, that's not necessarily true that we'd forget about battles that happened, memorial's exist for that purpose as well as those who have survived those battles and still have memories of it.
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