Composition and Manipulation
This conversation of denotation and connotation is very interesting when you can clearly realize as the reader that these aspects can be recognized in many photographs. For example, the picture of Lewis Powell originally looks like it could be an advertisement for early hair products or a clothing company. Or, it could simply be a photograph of a young fellow from his College yearbook. However when text is added it becomes a much more grim photo, as we see the face of a man who was the accomplice of John Wilkes Booth. This is one of infinite examples of where adding a denotation to a photograph can completely change the connotation of that photograph. This presentation is full of example, but another interesting one is the OJ Simpson Time Magazine cover that included Simpson's mugshot. As old black and white photos of VIPs in newspapers have phased out of the modern day culture, this same mischief of publications exists in media. However, magazines and social media own this space today. Part of me is also interested in how such old photos (such as the photo of Mussolini) were able to be edited in such believable way during 1942.
The ways in which image manipulation transcends modern technology (like Photoshop) is a key takeaway from the presentation. That the persuasive nature of image making was apparent and employed from the very beginning of its invention is a lesson we should take into our critique and engagement of all images that we encounter. Darkroom processes (such as masking, double-exposing, and burning/dodging) are analogue methods of manipulation that have been translated into the digital realm (as the image of Mussolini was processed using negative film, enlargers, and photo chemistry).
ReplyDelete