The Power of the Photograph

The phrase ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ is frequently heard everywhere. But most of the time, people underestimate its meaning. Have you ever wondered how one picture can actually impact thousands of people?

Pictures have the ability to lure people out of curiosity and interest, and often stay in people’s memory for a long time (Nickerson, cited in Schriver, 1997). Findahl et. al. (cited in Schriver, 1997) believed that still photographs can impact people just as much as learning from the news on television.

Nowadays, photographs are no longer just a documentation of events which are newsworthy. Many photographers use symbols to exemplify the significance of the issue itself (Kress and van Leeuwen, 2006). In a report about a war photo gallery in Dubrovnik, Gollard, the gallery curator, mentioned that he trusted photographers more compared to journalists because they were the ones who experienced the events firsthand with all five senses. In the media, news stories broadcasted or published would have been passed through the hands of editors and journalists who may have their personal views on the issue.

Source: Sanity Island Gallery

The picture above shows one of the world's most famous photographs captured by National Geographic photographer, Steve McCurry, in 1984. She is an Afghan woman, Sharbat Gula, who was 12 years old at the time. This is a very precious picture because foreigners seldom get the opportunity to photograph Afghan women. The picture on the right shows her when she was discovered again in 2002. (World's Famous Photos, 2007)

Besides that, photographs are used to create awareness about the critical issues and conflicts happening in our world today (Goddard, in ABC Media Report 2007). Photographers are motivated to cover such issues when they witness injustice and violence affecting us (Heizmann, in ABC Media Report 2007). Some may feel that publishing images that show graphic details is disrespectful, especially towards the victims. However, this is how photographs make a difference. Imagine reading about how a certain war caused massive bloodshed and compare it to actually seeing pictures for yourself. Which one affects you more? Pictures will most likely do the job.

There was an ongoing debate in Malaysia regarding Nurin Jazlin’s case. The picture of her dead body when she was found in a sports bag was seen in newspapers all over the country. Some felt that the picture was disturbing and that it was disrespectful towards Nurin’s parents. Others thought that the picture served as a good wake-up call. I agree with the latter. Ever since that kidnap case, Malaysia parents are beginning to make the effort to know their children’s whereabouts and to always keep an eye on them. This truly proves the power of the photograph.

References:

ABC Media Report 2007, ‘The power of the photograph’, viewed 9 November 2008, <http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/stories/2007/2051819.htm>.

Kress, G & van Leeuwen, T 2006, Reading images: The grammar of visual design, 2nd edn, ‘The semiotic landscape’, Routledge, London.

Schriver, KA 1997, Dynamics in document design: Creating texts for readers, ‘Chapter 6: The interplay of words and pictures’, Willy Computer Publishing, New York.

World's Famous Photos 1997, 'Afghan Girl 1984', viewed 12 November 2008, <http://www.worldsfamousphotos.com/tag/greatest-photos-ever-taken>.