Camera Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Camera - Essay Example Until the execution the power is in the hands of the state, but later, the forces which control the action and the reaction are out of control, more in the hands of the public, the media, and the system. The impact which a picture has on the audience and that which a government has on the masses are greatly subject to individual response and collective reaction. "Like the state, the camera is never neutral. The representations it produces are highly coded and the power it yields is never its own" ("The Burden of Representation: Essays of Photographies and Histories" (John Tagg 2006). The production of the picture taken by the camera is always subject to the point of the view of the photographer. The camera is more powerful than the cameraman. The biases, opinions of the photographer are captured with more depth and detail through the lens of the camera. The picture contains in it messages which are very subjective. The impact is unforeseen. The range with which a camera covers is wider than the vision of the photographer. Many times the impact is more than the expectation. What the eyes see is the expression of influences: perceptual, experiential, and epistemological (John Tagg 2006). The vulnerability and the rawness of the picture are beautifully explained in the book "Raw Histories" by Elizabeth Edwards where she passionately reveals the power which a picture has to shape the history of a government, system or the state. The dynamic role of camera to project different perspective is where the camera's view intersects with the state's vision. Anthropological photographs as 'history' can offer insights into the role of governance, as well as articulate history of past actions. The rawness of interpretation and the ambiguity of perception with which a photograph is loaded add complexity to it as a form of art. It exposes the vulnerability in all of us in framing, containing and releasing their research potential. (Berg Publishers: Raw Histories. 2002). In the field of history of photography and critical theory John Tagg's work is remarkable. His work "The Burden of Representation: Essays of Photographies and Histories" "( John Tagg. 2006). focuses on the importance of a photographic image in the form of archive and display in the museum. His collection of essays concentrates on the history of photography and analysis of its impact on the audience. He cross examines the intersection of power and photographic image. Image can trigger lasting impact on the state as well as the world scene. Camera as an impartial recorder of facts plays an important role in documentation, documentary and governance. His essay powerfully brings out the critical role of camera in projecting an image of the state, for the people of the state. It establishes direct connection between the ruler and the ruled, which crosses over with time with the change of events. Allan Sekula is a photographer, filmmaker, writer and critic In his essay "The Body and the Archive," Alan Sekula examines that the archive is rooted in the culture of this century. The operation of the archive became a device for regulatory control. It led to class and classification, as the basis for photographic interpretation. The apparatus of the camera played a key role in