20th Century Photography

Photography, meaning “drawing with lights” in Greek, is an art as well as a science of capturing light and storing it on a medium with unprecedented accuracy. Yet, up until the late 18th century, history was mainly recorded through the techniques of painting and the press. These mediums unarguably contained a certain degree of a truth, though, it was not uncommon for events, such as war to be composed with glorified details, or an unfavorable bias from the artist at hand. Beginning in the 1830’s, cameras provided a revolutionary solution by combining the advancements in optics and chemistry. Consequently, the new medium of photography was established and forever changed how history would be visually captured. Unlike other methods, photography

Photography is meant to capture the moment at hand, a moment in history that cannot be duplicated, and in some aspects, attempt to physically hold a memory. However, not every memory is made for the best. Joe Rosenthal snapped this photo on February 23, 1945 during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. This picture, taken hurriedly in fear of missing the ‘moment’, depicts six soldiers: five Marines and one United States Navy Corpsman from the United States hoisting the American flag. These soldiers were standing on the corpses of many people that fought and died in the battle. Having been awarded the Pulitzer Prize, it became a symbol of the United States’s power; however, the battle - ironically - was so minuscule in the span of World War II that it is not taught in most history classes. Americans have glorified the picture without acknowledging the deeper meaning of its history.

Since the camera was invented in 1826, it has been used to document everything from social injustice, inequality, famine, war, and human rights abuses to uplifting scenes of humanity, brotherhood, victory, love and hope (Ferdous). Throughout the years society has come to realize the true potential of a photograph and its ability to acknowledge the truth through intense and thought provoking imagery. The camera has helped journalists be able to connect with society in a way that was unique. The creation of the camera gave journalist the ability to communicate through the use of pictures. This newly found aspect made it possible for others to see exactly what the photographer has seen. With this ability photojournalism was created.

Question: In what ways did Mathew Brady change people’s perception of the Civil War? This investigation evaluates the ways in which photographer Mathew Brady changed the American perception of the Civil War. The focus of the investigation is on the growth of photography during the Civil War, a small bit of background on Mathew Brady, and his involvement on the battlefield as a “battlefield photographer”. The technological advancements in photography during the Civil War are noted in this investigation. Also, connections between the advancements in early photography and how Mathew Brady used these advancements to change the public perception of the War are explored. Different

While Postman points out the literal meaning of photography is “writing with light”; the two are from completely different universes when it comes to public discourse (p. 71). Unlike typography, photography cannot offer assertions, make propositions and offers no commentary. As long as it is not an altered photograph, it has no choice but to be true (p. 73). Thus, the photograph is only able to capture a moment in time and does not have the ability to comment on that moment. Our author contends, where language presents the world as an idea, the photographs only option is to show the world as an object (p. 72). Whereas in language, the correct context requires consideration of what is said before and after, in photography there is no before and after, only the snapshot of time. Therefore, by its very nature photography is context-free (p. 73). As photography immersed itself in the American culture author, Daniel Boorstin called this “the graphic revolution.” Postman is unequivocal on the point that the traditional forms of information, news, and even reality itself received an impairment by this new focus on images. For examples, he cites billboards, posters and advertisements. He points to magazines Life, Look and several newspapers. The picture was the focal point, and the writing was forced to take a less dominate roll and sometimes done away with altogether (p.

When examining American photography you must discuss the Farmer Security Administration-Office of War Information, also referred to as the FSA/OWI. This administration was the single and most significant documentary photography project in the history of United States. Photographs taken by members of the FSA/OWI all display and represent American society in different ways to help give a better understanding of major historic events occurring in the United States at this time. The members of the FSA use many formal elements to help illustrate society and its cultural that will enhance our understanding of the FSA/OWI project and United States. In addition, these formal elements such as lighting, framing, subject matter, and detail are used

The 1800’s witnessed technology changing the scenery of war. The invention of photography was the prominent new technology used in the war. The Photographic History of the Civil War volumes gave people insight how surgeons operated back then and how to improve modern medicine, the horrors of the battles, and

This paper will deal with the Perspective of War and how the certain aspects of war has forever changed the history and thought processes of civilizations worldwide. The paper will focus on the duty and action of war, the destruction and fear of war, and finally the memory of war.Investigating these ideas will give us a broader understand of how war has forever changed us as a society and how art is the perfect representation of this change.

During the Civil War, two main types of photography were used. One of these was called the Ambrotype. They called this the Ambrotype because it was based on a Greek word meaning “Immortal” (Ross, 15). Ambrotypes had a long “life”, so

As mankind rapidly evolved recording events became harder. Early history is only able to be pictured with using our imagination. Often times historians often clash about what the world looked like. Ancient civilizations from the Mayans and Aztecs have never been seen while they were in their pristine condition. The world is left with written descriptions and ruins not only of the cities themselves, but also the tools used. After the camera was invented in the early 1800s, events were more frequently recorded and it was clear what tools and cities looked like before modern-day. Photography has undoubtedly altered how we document events, created new job openings, and will give generations to come amazing art and show defining moments from each generation. Photography has helped evolve the world by creating new jobs and revolutionizing how events are documented.

Today, it is difficult to image a world without photography. Technology has made it easy to take an excellent quality photograph with just a cellphone. However, during the time of World War II through the Vietnam War, a lot of this technology was not nearly as advanced as it is today. The equipment that war photographers used was very primitive by today’s standards, yet there were many significant photographs that were taken, many of which are famous or infamous today. Many war photographers took their photographs in life-threatening situations. However, these photographs serve as a documentation of history and a source of influence. War photography from World War II to the Vietnam War influenced the world through its history, famous war photographers,

The produced not only informed, but it also helped hinder the war. Many photographs arrested the eye because within the photo lay an untold story. Therefore, these images captivated

    With the advances of photography so came about new ways of showing people things during war time! The people finally had a way of truly experiencing what the soldiers had to go through. The old way was to look at painting’s that could be biased to one fighting force or the other. With photos there was no hiding the truth, it was there for the people to see. The first war to truly be photographed was The Mexican American war. There were four innovations for pictures before the Civil war.

Since its inception, photography has been used to capture moments in time all around the world. This wonderful technology has existed since ancient times, and has only improved in recent history, changing society in the process.

A week later, he learned that the pictures he had taken were considered the best images anyone had made of the invasion. However, an excited darkroom assistant, while drying the negatives had used on too much heat causing the film emulsion to melt before his eyes, running down the hanging strips before he could do anything. Out of the one hundred and six images Capa had taken only eight survived. Yet, when those few photos were published around the world, they caused a sensation. They were first photographs taken from the inside of a war, from the midst of a great battle. The faulty drying too had somehow added a special quality to them, one that lifts them out of that specific time and place, making them universal images of war. Many publications added a caption to these photos, to explain to readers why they were blurred and slightly out of focus. It read simply: “Capa’s hands were badly shaking.”