Do Photographs Change the world?

From DigitalJournalist:

"For several weeks in the spring of 2003, LIFE solicited answers to that question on its own Web site (www.LIFE.com) and that of the highly regarded Digital Journalist (www.digitaljournalist.org), an online publication affiliated with the University of Texas. We received many opinions, most of which supported our conceit that a photo could change the world—music to our ears—along with one detailed, intelligent rebuttal. “I really do not believe that photographs actually change anything, least of all the ‘World,’” wrote Joshua Haruni. “To suggest that photographs, like the written word, have had a profound effect on our lives is simply wrong. Just imagine suggesting that Picture Post or Time or LIFE had as much impact on our lives as Das Kapital, Mein Kampf or the Bible . . . Photographs can be very beautiful, informative, ugly or anything else the photographer chooses to show. Photographs can definitely inspire us, but the written word has the ability to spark the imagination to greater depths than any photograph, whose content is limited to what exists in the frame.” Mr. Haruni is, by the way, a documentary photographer.

His argument forced us to once again confront our premise. We compared Mr. Haruni’s thoughts and those of other respondents and finally determined: A collection of pictures that “changed the world” is a thing worth contemplating, if only to arrive at some resolution about the influential nature of photography and whether it is limited, vast or in between. "

link

Discuss it amongst yourself and then post the correct answer. ;)

As if that was possible. . .

In the past, I have taken the position that photos can't end wars; many of the great war photographers have pursued this quixotical windmill and failed. Photos, like the written word, are ingested via the filter of our preconceptions. When people look at a photograph, they see different things. One may see the "senseless waste of our youth"; the other may see the "unfortunate cost of freedom and justice." Photojournalism works best where we don't have a "dog in the fight" and/or don't know anything about it. Photjournalism can put something on our radar and shape how we view it when we first find out about it. But once it is there, too many have preconceptions that a photo cannot overcome.

Put another way, photos can help form opinions, but once opinions are made, photographs probably cannot change them. . .

Now, I did use the terms "In the past, I have taken the position. . ." I have not completely thought this through and I reserve the right to be pursuaded by a good point or two.

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