Images have the power to reinforce a statement published by the media, and to highlight the journalists’ point of view of the story. That being said, images are biased to the owner and source of the news and what it wishes to highlight.
A punctum is a detail of an image that attracts the viewer’s eye in a specific direction. The punctum is subjective to the viewer’s mind, and his interpretation of it. (Kroker, M., Kroker A., 2015). Therefore, the punctum is the element of the image captured that calls out the viewers attention.
Absorption and facingness are opposite terms signifying the direction of the object in focus photographed. An absorption photo is one in which the object is in “performance”, thus facing away of the camera. The object in focus in this case is absorbed in his action. On the other hand, an object in focus facing the camera, and therefore the viewer through images such as portraits is what is referred to as “facingness”. (Kroker, M., Kroker A., 2015)
Images are almost never objective (Share, J., n.d.). Computer manipulation has become a crucial way of altering the images to fit the subjectivity of the person using the image, in this case the journalist. In fact, this new technology is a way for the truth about an image’s subjectivity to come out (Share, J., n.d.).
Personally, I have to agree with Share regarding this information. Every photograph is manipulated through many mediums in order to convey and highlight the desired message of the image. Through lighting and exposure, angles, and computer manipulation, as well as picking the appropriate and wanted image, a journalist is able to most accurately portray their wanted theme behind a story, and representing it through their perspective.
Kandutsch, C. (2015). A Yarmouk Photograph retrieved from Kandutsch – A Yarmouk Photograph .pd
Share, J. (n.d.). The Camera Always Lies. retrieved from Share – Camera Always Lies.pdf
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