Momeni, Mina. “Agony in Photography” The Influence of Misery in Photographs, 2017, http://www.minamomeni.com/agony-in-photography.html
In this article, Mina focuses on the agony in photographs. She points out that photographers try as much as they can to depict the truth as it is on the ground (Mina, par.1). In documentaries, for instance, they show pictures of corpses, torn bodies, war among other forms of violence against humanity. Mina admits that though some of these photographs affect people’s attitudes it is imperative to take them and in order to substantiate her stand; she analyzes some sample pictures taken in the times of war. Contrary to the arguments of John Berger in his work “Photographs of Agony”, Mina concludes that despite the effect to the public, documentary photographs help make what is invisible visible (Mina, par.16). According to her, they affect people’s attitudes and they can be used as a weapon towards social development.
I will use Mina’s essay as the main text in my work. Her essay provides a splendid background to the main subject matter in my essay. Minas views photographs depicting people languishing in agony as imperative since they enable us to discover deeper meanings in things and comprehend the truth visually. Therefore, I will discuss how photos of violence help us shape our society towards a better future.
Key terms: photographs, war, agony, and violence
Photo: Sahar. “Electronic learning Portfolio” Photographs of Agony, December 10, 2015, http://portfolio.newschool.edu/rahas509/2015/12/13/photographs-of-agony/
This photograph depicts a young man agonizing at a gunpoint. His face is writhed in pain as he waits for the tormentor to pull the trigger then he will be no more. There is a possibility that he is handcuffed and must have undergone a throbbing process before this photo was taken. Besides, he looks emaciated a proof that he has not eaten anything for quite some time. Evidently, this photograph was taken in a place engulfed in warfare. At the background of it, one can see that it was a populated town where people were staying in harmony but after the war has started only a few like this young are left.
This is an example of a photograph which Berger criticizes saying that they can negatively trigger people’s feelings and attitudes. They must, in a certain way, move or shock the public. It is true that this photo is not pleasant but it heartens our curiosity to know more about the occurrence which led to what we can see. Through it, people can acknowledge the shortcomings associated with war or any kind of violence and thus do anything to avoid any of such events. I will use this photo as a vivid example showing the significance of taking photos which show violence against humanity.
Keywords: war, violence, significance, and attitudes
Richard Francis. “The Thin Artifact: On Photography and Suffering” Susie Linfield's The Cruel Radiance is a demanding and flawed attempt to regard the pain of others through photographs. The Nation. November, 23, 2010, https://www.thenation.com/article/thin-artifact-photography-and-suffering/
In this article, Richard argues that in a photograph that depicts misery or act of violence, the viewer can seldom begin with pleasure (Richard, par. 1). A picture showing atrocities, for instance, subjects the viewer to forthright intractable conundrum. In his attempt to substantiate his claim regarding the issue of photographs and suffering, Richard refers to Susie Linfield’s book “In The Cruel Radiance”. In her work Linfield relates the relationship between photography and political violence. She provides a way to engage with pictures of agonizing people seen by the majority as perpetuating violence against the victims portrayed. Linfield holds that while a photo perhaps framed by a photographer of moderate privilege, it may however foster ideas of humanoid connection and a vision of a less unjust world. This argument as Richard hints implies that viewing photos of violence does not automatically perpetuate people to war or take part in it; instead, viewing them can link people in a manner that develops common understanding and the starting point of change and solidarity (Richard, par.11).
The importance of this newspaper article in my essay cannot be underestimated. It is a useful material which will help in developing my theme. It provides the readers with a variety of responses which viewers of a photograph should portray especially when it is showing misery in a political war. These responses should not be restricted to pity or the perception that the pictures are perpetuating hostility towards those pictured. Hence, I will discuss how people should adopt different responses whenever they view a photograph picturing violence victims.
Keywords: photograph, political, violence, war, and viewers
Saramifar, Younes. "The Pain of Others: Framing War Photography in Iran." Journal of Anthropology (2017). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00141844.2017.1415367
In this article, Younes explains the significance of war phtographs since the beginning of the warfare between Iraq and Iran. He purposely demarcates their importance in contributing to the visual culture of martyrdom thirty years since the war begun. He uses photographs in this article so as to shade more light on his idea about the politics of visual culture (Younes, par. 6) . The visual culture pervaded with particular representation convinces people to receive picturers in a certain manner, aligned with the master narrative, be it agreement or negative response. Younes notes that some viewers put up with the imposed representation and restrict their vision to the specified kinds of the visual culture of martyrdom while others reject them and come up with their individual political subjectivity.
Youne’s article introduces another important theme worth incorporating in my essay. War photographs contain both superficial and deep implifications which the photographer intends the viewers to comprehend. They have figurative or symbolic signification that is relevant to the intended group of viewers. According to him, people should see photographs beyond the context of the rectagular frame which displays the semiotic contents. In so doing they will get a deeper meaning just the way they get in other artistic works of metaphors, symbols, poetic of times, and print culture.
Keywords: significance, war, photograph, martyrdom, represenrtation, and visual culture.
Works cited
Momeni, Mina. “Agony in Photography” The Influence of Misery in Photographs, 2017, http://www.minamomeni.com/agony-in-photography.html
Photo: Sahar. “Electronic learning Portfolio” Photographs of Agony, December 10, 2015, http://portfolio.newschool.edu/rahas509/2015/12/13/photographs-of-agony/
Richard Francis. “The Thin Artifact: On Photography and Suffering” Susie Linfield's The Cruel Radiance is a demanding and flawed attempt to regard the pain of others through photographs. The Nation. November, 23, 2010, https://www.thenation.com/article/thin-artifact-photography-and-suffering/
Saramifar, Younes. "The Pain of Others: Framing War Photography in Iran." Journal of Anthropology (2017). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00141844.2017.1415367
