One of the more challenging aspects of helping people see things in new and exciting ways is learning to break through how socially conditioned we are to looking at the incessant barrage of media images in our culture.
There is no question that media images can be persuasive determinants of reality -- but only to a point.
The experience of viewing must appeal to both common sense and feelings. We must be able to understand what we visually encounter in meaningful ways that move us in some way toward action. Looking at so many pictures of Tsunami victims, Katrina destruction, teary-eyed reunions of troops coming and going from Iraq, dead Americans being laid to rest, anguished prisoners, or, anything else of that matter, can make our eyes glaze over.
Overexposure to emotionally charged imagery shuts us down by acting as an anesthetic. We become numbed by and socially conditioned to images through repetition and recall.
We should learn to appreciate those photojournalists who have the capacity to turn a lens on the world in ways that move us to do more than just look at what they are looking at. The difference between looking at something and truly seeing what something means is huge.
Everything has a look. Things are looked at but not seen for what they represent in a deep sense.
A photojournalist has many choices when making pictures, of which ultimately impact what the viewer will experience. Focal length, depth of field, angle, vantage point, contributing background, and content determine the visual encounter with how humanity is framed for us.
In our photojournalism class yesterday we presented ourselves with an hypothetical assignment. We put ourselves on a 30 minute deadline to make, edit and transmit an image back to our imaginary newsroom. We invented a story about a student being honored for her work on campus and had to produce a portrait.
Annie, our gracious volunteer, has a subtle but bold personality. She is peppy and engaged in campus life and loves learning. Her hair is neon-pink. She is dressed in black and wears tinted wireless eyeglasses.
The challenge we face is how to frame Annie in a way that dignifies who she is as an individual without falling into the trap of stereotyping her or making her just another mug in the newspaper.
How we frame Annie is not only how we see her as a human being, but also how we see ourselves. The editors awaiting our work are expecting an image of a student -- a picture that they may have already formulated in their mind's eye.
The photojournalist works within an array of aesthetic, cultural, moral, ethical, technical, organizational, and ideological constraints. How can a photojournalist be true to their own sense of seeing and still deliver an image that will be acceptable to the preferences and prejudices of others?
The key to this assignment is to produce a variety of images that reflect both the integrity of the subject as well as the image's ultimate function -- information. The photojournalist must be flexible, creative, quick, engaging, and cover all possible editing contingencies in terms of display issues. Visual variety is critical to editors -- they must have choices to look at -- horizontals and verticals -- close-ups and overviews -- bird's eye views and worm's eye views. The photojournalist must not overlook the opportunity to make honest images that are true to both the subject and themselves. The images must be, as always, well composed, technically clean, and deliver a strong central message.
The first thing a person asks a photographer when they are told they are going to be photographed is "where do you want me?" or "tell me what to do." Taking charge of the interaction does not mean simply ordering a person to stand there and take it. Taking charge of the image-making process means entering into a relationship with the human being -- documentary a moment of humanity.
We took many pictures of Annie. There were shots of her walking across campus talking to other students, shots of her against a wall, shots looking down at her with a colorful mosaic below, and others of looking up with artwork in the background. We made the images we felt obligated to make from different angles and using a variety of focal length. We did what was expected of us, but did we really capture the essence of who Annie is as a human being? Could such an abstract idea even be possible.
We have seen images of famous people by famous photographers such as Leibovitz, Karsh, or Newman. We have learned what makes a "good" portrait. We are constantly comparing the images we make to those made by others. We feel obligated to follow the examples of those who come before us.
In the 15 minutes we had to make Annie's picture, we struggled to find the light, location, and feeling that would tell the viewer something important about this human being. We struggled to not rely on merely looking, but to truly see something special in Annie's personality.
We must challenge ourselves to see familiar things in new ways and hope that creativity, rapport and luck are on our side.