Photography Project Julian, Caitlin, and Sara coup

Introduction Susan Sontag makes three claims in her essay: you can’t understand function based on appearance, a picture hides more than it discloses, and photographs attempt to manipulate the viewer. These claims support Sontag’s encompassing assertion that photography limits our understanding of the world. coup

Appearance vs. Function Based on the simple picture of the iPhone, you cannot identify its function. coup

Appearance vs. Function This picture looks like mold … because it is … coup

Appearance vs. Function While the snuggie, displayed on a model, looks like a unique product that would entice any buyer, the reality is that its function is the same as a typical fleece blanket. Yet one may be mislead by the attractive display by the Snuggie company. coup

Hides More Than It Discloses This might just look like an ordinary banana, but there is a story behind it that cannot be photographed. coup

Hides More Than It Discloses Most of you see this picture and immediately think of a railroad station. coup

Hides More Than It Discloses This picture, though it does portray the emotion on the surface, does not at all begin to show the true emotion felt by the characters in the photo. coup

Manipulation Of course all menus try to reel in customers by photographing delicious food. When they serve that "delicious food," however, customers always discover that the menu is only a distorted image of the actual truth. coup

Manipulation This is a piece of Nazi propaganda that was circulated around Germany before the beginning of World War II. coup

Manipulation Abercrombie uses sexual images in order to appeal to the desires of the typical teenage girl, but, in doing so, the Abercrombie clothes company removes the intrinsic value of the photo. coup

Conclusion Although Sontag’s claim is correct, her passage is premature because it fails to recognize the benefits of photography. As cliché as it sounds, a picture is really worth a thousand words. And despite its apparent fallbacks, photography uses visual evidence to enhance our understanding of the world. coup