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Human memory was never the most reliable source for information. That is why our society has taught us to write things down, and capture the world in photographs. These little mementos broaden our capabilities to know, understand, and reflect. Photographs are advantageous in their disregard for background and framing on the specific details that people tend to miss when looking at the bigger picture. Photographs as a means of information is clueless to its context; this characteristic of photography is one of its key advantages to comprehending the world through the lens.
Although Sontag argues that photos must be placed in the context of its time to be valuable to the task of understanding the object in the photograph, her criticism neglects the role of objectivity and the greatness of the gap it leaves in our comprehension. As humans we are taught to empathize, to trust our heart, and to allow our emotions to make our judgement for us.
However, an overflood of sensitivity to emotion distorts our understanding and leads into a narrowing of perception.
The objectivity of photographs reminds us that even with all the malpractices that the Krupp forged, it was still a simple company, like any other. with simple people working inside. There is a deeper understanding of the Nazi's power in Germany, when the details explicit in the photograph are present. The magnitude of Hitler's persuasion on citizens, with lives like any other, is terrifying to acknowledge when the emotions in our head already paint them as corrupt villains.
Rather than limiting our understanding, photography grants us access to an entirely new perspective that we mistake for “mental pollution.
" There is no way to hide from a camera lens., they are brutally honest. Every flaw, every scratch is noticed and captured. Sintag depectics cameras as machines that "always hide more than it discloses," but how can you hide from something that captures reality? The explicity of a photograph keeps our thoughts in check when our mind is distracted with all of the other information in our heads. Our minds may be cluttered and blur and doctor our information in our heads but photographs cannot be doctored perfectly. They have enhanced our senses with no just "aesthetic consumerism" but with truth. The blunt truth and objectivity of photography have broadened our understanding of the world. The limitations of our understanding do not exist in this regard, the functions are prevalent and all we need to access them are discernment, focus, and intellectual light.
The Importance of Photographs in Enhancing Human Memory. (2022, Dec 09). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/the-importance-of-photographs-in-enhancing-human-memory-essay
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