In Part One of this blog series, we explored the role of photography in our contemporary era. While photography is still a relatively young visual language, it has made significant progress as an art form. The question of its future trajectory has been central to my professional journey.
As the volume and speed of media content have exponentially increased in the past decade, the evolution of camera technology has been somewhat limited. While exceptions exist, such as the JWST or the Ytterbium ion, we’ll delve into those in Part Three — Micro Macro for the benefit of photography enthusiasts. Although we can now produce higher-resolution images at more affordable prices, the fundamental concept of the commercially available camera remains largely perfected. However, the way we consume photographs has had the most profound impact on the media landscape. Thanks to algorithmically curated platforms, we can effortlessly share images with a global audience via the internet. These images are seen, experienced, and ultimately fade away in the cloud.
Before I express my views on how photography can contribute to a new understanding of the world, I’d like to highlight a few key moments from the last few centuries to set the stage.
Cathedral Rocks, Yosemite — Carlton Waktins.
Picture this: the 1800s, and the Camera Obscura becomes the trendiest innovation in high society circles. Following Louis Daguerre’s introduction of the daguerreotype — the earliest widely used photographic technique — a period of experimentation and technical refinement in the medium ensued. With the industrial revolution underway, a world of new possibilities opened up. Photography hadn’t yet gained recognition within the art realm, but practitioners were undeterred, creating breathtaking and transformative works. It became a powerful way for the emerging world to explore itself and construct the narratives that would shape its identity.
Countless examples come to mind, yet few rival the significance of Carlton Watkins’ contributions. An American photographer, he is partially credited with coining the term “National Park.” Watkins, alongside other early Western influencers, ignited the existential movement that continues to resonate in Western psyche, from Ansel Adams to contemporary figures like Richard Mosse. Watkins is renowned for his landscape photography of the American West, notably his iconic images of Yosemite Valley in the mid-19th century. These images drew attention to the region’s unique natural beauty and prompted a fundamental question: should this land, unlike countless others, be preserved rather than destroyed? His photographs played a pivotal role in persuading the U.S. Congress to protect Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove in 1864, marking the first instance of land being set aside for public enjoyment and preservation in the United States. Watkins’ work not only shaped Yosemite’s status as a protected area but also ignited the movement to preserve other natural wonders across the nation.
Watkins, an exceptional photographer and conservationist, nonetheless reflects a significant omission within his awe-inspiring landscapes: the absence of humans, especially Native Americans like the Ahwahneechee people who once inhabited these lands. He embodies a passionate individual who understood his audience and harnessed the enigmatic nature of existence to serve both noble and sinister ends, framing its visceral essence within the confines of a photograph. His story encompasses both triumph and a cautionary tale about the potential impact of photography.
“Bridalveil Fall”, Yosemite National Park, CA, ca. 1927 — Ansel Adams,
Also known as “Pohono,” meaning “spirit of the puffing wind,” as named by the Ahwahneechee people who resided there for centuries.
This tool, evocative and potentially perilous, is often wielded by the very institutions we trust to convey objective truth. We all engage in a similar act; my social media pages, for instance, reflect meticulously curated versions of my otherwise unremarkable life.
I saw a saddening contrast in the news recently. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Iraq invasion. I recall the images of buildings supposedly housing weapons of mass destruction, disseminated shortly before the U.S. and UK invaded Iraq. The fear and conviction I felt as a fifteen-year-old boy, viewing these alleged arsenals on the evening news, remain vivid. Days later, that same teenager would witness bombs raining upon Baghdad, and Warthog A10s spewing fire from the night sky. Throughout history, humanity has adapted to thrive in various environments. Our current milieu subjects us to an onslaught of images — a tool that shapes our feelings and actions. To navigate this landscape effectively, we must cultivate critical thinking about images and apply this skill to every piece of media and narrative we encounter, thus liberating ourselves from the agencies that manipulate these photographs. Also this year, a Principle lost their job after showing sixth graders the universal celebrated bare bottom of Michelangelo’s masterpiece David, while we again watch hell fall on the innocent during the six o’clock new.
“Le Baiser de l’Hôtel de Ville” — Robert Doisneau, 1950
Above we see Robert Doisneau capture of a couple passionately kissing on a busy street in Paris. When it was first published in the 1950s, authorities deemed it too provocative and inappropriate for public display due to its intimate nature. It serves as a reminder of how censorship and societal norms can change over time, impacting the public’s perception of explicit content in art and photography, evocative emotional or explicitly labelled bottoms. Whether it’s a man’s lower regions, true love or death. Isn’t is odd how these trends come and go? How the Illegal war in Iraq is seldom ever mentioned. How 20 year’s hindsight isn’t quite 20:20?
Photography lays us bare. “To photograph people is to violate them, by seeing them as they never see themselves, by having knowledge of them that they can never have; it turns people into objects that can be symbolically possessed.” — Susan Sontag in “On Photography.”
Some of the best advice I was ever given was, when traveling in a new area, go to the watering hole that you wouldn’t ordinarily like the look of, sit next to the man or woman you might normally avoid and face all assumptions boldly, to seek to learn something you wouldn’t otherwise be able. If you’re open to it, what you so often can find is only the similarities in your new neighbours.
Ultimately, the platforms and policies of our digital town squares dictate what we can and cannot express, think, or feel. Trends come and go, and hindsight is often clearer. The ongoing challenge is to discern truth amid manipulation and to prioritise what unites us over what divides us — a task easier said than done. Valuable advice I received was to venture into unfamiliar territory, sit beside someone I might otherwise avoid, and boldly confront assumptions to learn something new. When receptive, this approach often reveals the commonalities we share with our new neighbours.
If photography flows freely worldwide, few tools rival its capacity to inspire greatness and forge connections among us. While photographs are nearly inseparable from bias, our practice of critically assessing all we see remains crucial. If the annoyance of learning that an online image was AI-generated resonates with you, you understand the importance of this endeavor.
In essence, I believe we are more alike than politicians or social media would lead us to believe. We are individuals collectively existing within a vast global society. Bridging the imaginary borders that separate us necessitates a better means of communication. Regardless of your position on the political spectrum, it’s likely you’d agree that the platforms we rely on to grasp the world’s truths have disappointed us in recent years. Negative-fueled conversations garner more engagement, as algorithms amplify extreme messages for increased revenue. Rather than emphasising our shared traits, leaders of competing factions highlight differences, pursuing a “divide and conquer” strategy. Our challenge is to communicate more effectively and, through the camera’s lens, comprehend our role in the world’s narrative. In the case of Yosemite, Baghdad, and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, unfettered access to truth must improve.
Bottom line, we must make accessing global archives as effortless as contributing new media. This accessible Town Hall / Museum / Library / Gallery / Reality should honour cultural norms for each user. Our complex relationship with images as modern humans, and it’s borne out of a complicated past. And if we’re going to be honest, looking into the future with AI created images, things aren’t looking like they’re getting any easier any time soon.
In today’s digital landscape, an emerging challenge threatens to undermine truth itself — the proliferation of AI-generated imagery, often passed off as real content. This trend, akin to modern-day “fake news,” poses one of the most formidable assaults on reality since the dawn of the photograph. As ethical concerns loom large, the lines between fact and fiction blur, and the very essence of truth becomes malleable. The digital realm allows for the creation of seemingly authentic images that can sway public opinion, deceive, and manipulate. This unsettling development underscores the need for heightened discernment and critical thinking. The camera, once heralded as a tool to capture reality, now becomes a conduit for fabricated narratives. In navigating this intricate terrain, it’s imperative to safeguard our understanding of truth in the face of these emerging challenges; real, false, right and wrong.
In our intricate dance with images, as we strive to decipher their truths and navigate the intricate labyrinth of media, one thing remains certain: the lens through which we view the world shapes our reality. The challenges we face today, from AI-generated imagery to ethical conundrums, beckon us to question and critique with newfound vigour. Just as photographers focus their lenses to reveal different layers of existence, we too must zoom in to scrutinise the finer details while zooming out to contemplate the grand tapestry of our shared humanity. As we bid adieu to this chapter of exploration, we stand on the precipice of Part Three — Micro Macro, where we delve into the remarkable transformation of our understanding as we shift our gaze closer to the minute and farther out to the cosmos. Join me on this journey of perception, for in these next lines, we’ll peer through lenses that have both expanded and refined our perception of the universe itself.
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