The Photographic Image: Taken or Made - Lecture Response

Dr Laura Jackson-Willis hosted this lecture, which studied and explored whether a photograph was taken, or made. She started the lecture questioning 'When is a photograph made into an image?' An interesting and unanswerable question. When does a photograph get made into an image? Is it dependant on Placement? Production? Changing the context of the photograph itself? There is no right nor wrong answer.

Dr Laura went on to showcase her photographs of beach huts, a different one in each image but in the exact same frame in the camera. This provided her project with visual evidence to analyse and gather data. She used the same style that Edward Ruscha used in his artist book 'Twentysix Gasoline Stations' which displayed a sequence of visually similar images in a sequence of, you guessed it, twenty six photographs.

'What changes the meaning of a photograph?' As well as the first mind boggling question, Dr Laura debated more in depth questions to the students. I believe that the way a photograph is interpreted or even viewed can change the meaning of the artwork entirely. For example, if you were to look upon an image on a crowded wall filled and compacted with many other images along side (almost collage like) I would believe it is assumed to be interpreted with a chaotic perception. However if the image was displayed upon a empty, plain wall the image could be perceived as isolated. Location can play a big factor in how the meaning of a photograph can be changed entirely.

I also learned that truth is a extravagant word in terms of photo graphical images. Images often tell stories visually rather than using language. You may believe a particular image has been taken without any construction and conveys the complete truth when in fact, looking behind the scenes could change the whole perception and story completely. For example, Robert Capa's 'Fallen Soldier' image was used in many advertisement about war and was believed to be a truthful image for many years until it was studied in depth and further which was when it was concluded that the image itself was constructed due to the unlikely location and many other factors.

Dr Laura stated that 'Time is forever moving' whereas an image once taken cannot change, but what can change is the meaning behind that image, and how it is perceived. Which is what I believe was the importance of this lecture, to realise that not only can something mean one thing to yourself, but may be looked upon in a whole different concept through someone else's eyes, an open mind is key.