The forming image is sharp, trenchant - a good picture; but it isn't exactly the photo you had in your head. Study Guide for On Photography. Even if someone were to believe a photo's purpose or appearance to be entirely true, it could still, however, be completely false. ‘Salgado was born on 8th February 1944 in Amores, in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. I read it myself a good year before starting this course but if there was ever a case of something you read going in one eye and out the other this was it. The practice of photography gives us assurance by its accurate relation to reality than any other devices. For those of you who do not know who Susan Sontag (1933- 2004) was, she was an active author, intellectual, playwright, well-known cultural figure, and humanitarian. I recently read it while developing an aesthetics … Yes, be wary of the falseness of photos, but also think of one’s own judgment. A collection of thoughts and quotes by Susan Sontag media, culture, AIDS, photography, ideology, human-rights, illness, intelligence and activist. Next. Sontag is saying that even though to take a picture one must have distance, it still inflates hidden desires, ones that are either sexual or violent. It defines and presages the thinking that underlies the whole book. Such photographic images are capable of replacing reality virtue of being not only a mirror or interpretation of in, but also a relic of reality, something that is taken straight from it. Sontag’s On Photography is made up of seven interconnected but quite separate essays, plus a brief appendix of quotations about photography. The New Yorker Photographs are everywhere. The saddest and most horrible hold photography has on society Sontag explained is when people have a choice to save a life or to take a photo, they choose the photo (Sontag 11). Susan Sontag is the author of four novels, The Benefactor, Death Kit, ... An Analysis of Susan Sontag's On Photography (The Macat Library) Nico Epstein. Susan Sontag (1933 – 2004) was an American writer, critic, cultural philosopher and political activist. Review: Susan Sontag On Photography. 3.2 out of 5 stars 13. Course. Susan Sontag's On Photography Chapter Summary. StuDocu Summary Library EN. Even so, this reliance on photos has useful purpose in some instances, so Sontag may have crossed the line and “blew it out of proportion”. Sontag merely tends to examples in which photography influences people in situations where people are faulty in their judgment. She claims that people erroneously think of photography as representing reality and connecting them with it more directly than other art forms do. (Sontag 14). She is implying that because anyone can take pictures, society is overrun by photography. The idea Sontag features of photos as untrustworthy I partially disagree with, because it is more a matter of the judgment or instinct of a person to test something’s credibility, as with anything else in the world, and not just that only photos cannot be trusted. "Literature was the Passport.". Susan Sontag (/ ˈ s ɒ n t æ ɡ /; January 16, 1933 – December 28, 2004) was an American writer, filmmaker, philosopher, teacher, and political activist. Susan Sontag, 1975. In On Photography, Susan Sontag discusses what she believes photography does to society in the modern day. The allegory shows that the prisoners in the cave only see an image of reality which is the shadow, but never the real objects behind them. Susan Sontag's On Photography is a seminal and groundbreaking work on the subject. She achieved widespread recognition through her collections of essays, Against Interpretation (1966), On Photography (1977) and Regarding the Pain of Others (2004). Photography changes are conditions of imprisonment and create a kind of "ethics of vision" and the feeling that we can contain the whole world in our heads. (Sontag 9-10). This is not accidental. (Sontag 1977:64) In addition, Sontag explores the dark side of people’s motivations behind photography. £27.33. Susan Sontag… This is due to the importance of recording events in modern society, but I also believe that this means something more: that when people choose the photo, they choose more, pathetically, “exciting” news. To assuage anxiety, people, especially tourists, snap pictures to keep as memoirs, and their motivation can even be to, as people from cultures with high work ethics have, is to mimic working, because they feel a need to continue working to avoid feeling indolent. Susan Sontag-On Photography In Platos cave – summary. Sontag starts off with beautifying. Nobody can survive if they go through life never trusting anything: what they see, read, hear, or feel. torkildr, CC-BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. In many situations, taking photos is expected, or else one is looked down upon. Kindle Edition. Summary. The Image World – Susan Sontag (1977) November 7, 2009 by Hugh Susan Sontag’s On Photography is a text that every photography theory student grapples with at one point or another. Of course, this modern day was the 1970's, but many of the key elements described in the collection of essays still remain relevant. The essay “In Plato's Cave” by Susan Sontag condemns photography and elaborates upon the meaning of photography as a sort of warning. Reviewing Susan Sontag's book is analogous to printing in the darkroom. Born In: New York City. Seeing this doubt in light of what Sontag claims shows that photography’s hold on society may be great, unfortunately in a melancholic way, but Sontag misses the point of how photography is advantageous. Of course photos cannot be trusted entirely, but this is dependent on the viewer’s judgment and supporting information. Photographs are everywhere, and the 'insatiability of the photographing eye' has profoundly altered our relationship with the world. Her book is a collection of six essays that explore photography in the deepest of manners. Also includes sites with a short overview, synopsis, book report, or summary of Susan Sontag’s On Photography. Susan Sontag’s On Photography is one of the best studies of photography that you can find. University. Print. Perhaps a “semblance” is all one needs in order to make sense of this hectic earth. Mats Halldin, CC-BY-SA-3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Do ‘controlled’ images affect the meaning and how we view them or do they simply allow us to not get desensitized? eNotes - On Photography Detailed study guides typically feature a comprehensive analysis of the work, including an introduction, plot summary, character analysis, discussion of themes, excerpts of published criticism, and Q&A. Yet the majority of a photographer’s photos do not make it into the display whether in a magazine or exhibit. Susan Sontag's groundbreaking critique of photography asks forceful questions about the moral and aesthetic issues surrounding this art form. 100 Thought-Provoking Quotes By Susan Sontag That You Can’t Overlook . It delves into the idea of ‘transparency’, where photographers have eliminated the boundaries of art and are faced with the prospect of being free to capture. 4.0 out of 5 stars 4. Even though she speaks of what photos mean, she remains biased in her own views of the disadvantages. In order to get a full understanding of the “Miss Lesbian” photograph, I will be taking a look at, This essay will discuss the links between photography and censorship and how the photographer and the media uses this to distribute images of a atrocity to the masses, when is it appropriate to censor images and when is it not? More of an impact on the idea of photography's hold on society is Sontag's view that the mentality which looks at the world through eyes framing potential photographic subjects everywhere had spread rapidly with increasing technological advances of the camera since the mid-1800's (Sontag 7). A prime example of one of Sontag's warnings about photos is, “Humankind lingers unregenerately in Plato's Cave, still reveling, its age-old habit, in mere images of the truth.” (Sontag 3). She explains, “The camera doesn’t rape, or even possess, though it may intrude, trespass, distort, exploit, and, at the farthest reach of the metaphor, assassinate- all activities that, unlike the sexual push and shove, can be conducted from a distance, and with some detachment.” (Sontag 13). Overall, photos may exist only as a world of images, nothing more: shadows of reality and the truth, but more critical judgment may show otherwise. Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag Hamish Hamilton £12.99, pp128. Photography, more than any other art form, is subject to intense moral scrutiny. Full summary at http://www.dailyrenegade.com Here, Sontag explains that people tend to take a photo and save the information or appearance of that photo in their mind in order to relate to in real life. Photojournalists play a key role in the media their role is to photograph the events that take place in front of them but is it always appropriate to keep taking, world must be preserved and, where possible expanded.” (Salgado, 2012, p.5)
Now Susan Sontag has shown us in elegiac words how far we are enlightened or unenlightened about photography. This subconscious desire, Sontag adds, could be evident when people speak of “loading” or “aiming” a camera. Photography is a field that is steeped in ambiguity, it is an art form, a form of evidence both in scientific and legal processes, it is used heavily in advertising and also in journalism. By placing a reference to Plato at the very beginning Sontag is telling us: 'I subscribe to the fundamental Platonic principles: the real world vs. the world of imitations. Sontag goes through many functions of photography. Photojournalism relies on the “truth claim” of photography, that if a subject was photographed it existed in that way. In the essay “On Photography” written in the 1970’s, author Susan Sontag states that “photographs really are experience captured” and the camera helps us put ourselves into the relation of the photographs. Sontag relates this to Plato's allegory in which prisoner's in a cave see shadows of objects cast on the wall due to a fire, in effect, seeing false images of reality. Sontag offers another seemingly elusive influence of photography on society as she states, “…the most grandiose result of the photographic enterprise is to give us the sense that we can hold the whole world in our heads-as an anthology of images.” (Sontag 3). “On Photographyis to my mind the most original and illuminating study of the subject.”—Calvin Trillin, The New Yorker. Born On: January 16, 1933. On Photography Summary. Susan Sontag: On Photography: In Plato's cave – summary Humanity, argues Susan Sontag in "In Plato's Cave" in her collection of essays "On Photography", is still in Plato's cave. Since beginning his career as a professional photographer in 1973 in Paris, he has travelled through over 100 countries for his personal, Analysis Of Susan Sontag 's Article ' On Photography ', Emotional Instability As A Major Determinant For Marital Conflict, Investigating And Potential Growth Of The Hormones Auxin And Gibberellin. Analysis: Regarding The Pain Of Others By Susan Sontag “Regarding the Pain of Others” by Susan Sontag, it is an essay about the manipulation and functions of photography. New York, Picador, 1977.
4.4 out of 5 stars. Susan Sontag's groundbreaking critique of photography asks forceful questions about the moral and aesthetic issues surrounding this art form. Sontag insists is that the industrialization of camera technology has democratized society's experiences into images that “sleek” pocket cameras allow anyone to snap (Sontag 7). http://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/320/index.html University of Washington, Susan Sontag Foundation. Died On: December 28, 2004. Sontag’s On Photography is one of the most quoted academic works on the subject of photograph, and generally comes up any time you’re having a serious discussion about photography. Sontag also warns, the act of taking a picture is “predatory”, because once a photo is taken it can be used against anyone in a repulsive way, whether the victim is aware of it or not (Sontag 14). On Photography by Susan Sontag 'The most original and illuminating study of the subject.' Photography's inferior but inexorable version of reality is the bases of On Photography. https://athenareads.home.blog/2019/08/19/on-photography-by-susan-sontag Photos are the world’s “cheat sheets” for life’s test. 234 customer ratings. People want to save these images in their heads in order to sort information to relate to how the world is. Kindle Edition . And that is the disturbing part, a picture of anyone can be photo shopped in with a terrible picture, tacked on a wall for some creep to throw darts at, or any other horrible, embarrassing usage of it. She indicates that we require captions and written examination to support the diverse imagery, photograph of a performance taken by Sean Fitzpatrick, 76, 5 x 50, 5 cm.) On Photography study guide contains a biography of Susan Sontag, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. £4.83. Died At Age: 71. It will always be a knowledge at bargain prices- a semblance of knowledge, a semblance of wisdom: as the act of taking pictures is a semblance of appropriation, a semblance of rape.” (Sontag 24). Photography, Susan Sontag holds, is not a mere copy of reality but rather a recycled copy. From high art to family albums to legal evidence, they capture and document the world around us. 3928 votes. On Photography is a collection of essays by American writer, academic, and activist Susan Sontag. On Photography by Susan Sontag. along with some of John.B Thompson’s other theories, with some reference to Susan Sontag’s work on photography. Sontag, Susan. Why On Photography Matters. While showing the entirety of the photographer’s series might be argued to have more, Susan Sontag said photographs sends across the harmlessness and helplessness of the human life steering into their own ruin. And whether we use them to expose, reveal or remember, they hold an enduring power. John Berger responding to Susan Sontag’s book “On Photography” Susan Sontag’s book “On Photography” is a classic. In On Photography, Sontag named her first essay "In Plato's Cave" in reflection of the allegory of the same name by Plato. Customer reviews. Find summaries for every chapter, including a On Photography Chapter Summary Chart to help you understand the book. Many of her insights are interesting and/or provocative. Short Book Summaries . To deepen the interpretation and analysis of this photograph, I will be using work done by John B. Thompson and will be using his theories of the five symbolic forms (Intention, Convention, Structure, Reference and Context.) For the most part, she describes the relationship between photography and capitalism in society. Photography is a social rite, in that cameras go with family life: they keep the accomplishments of family members for reminiscence (Sontag 8). As stated by Judith Butler, the view of Susan Sontag, visible throughout her texts claiming that the photograph can’t reflect clarification by itself, would be senseless. Furthermore the bond connecting photography with departure from life tortures the human race. Sontag's essay overall reveals views on how photography has grimly affected society foreshadowing the consequences of such desperate reliance on photos. To deepen the interpretation and analysis of this photograph, I will be using work done by John B. Thompson and will be using his theories of the five symbolic forms (Intention, Convention, Structure, Reference and Context.) It brings together a series of nonfiction pieces originally published in The New York Review of Books between 1973 and 1977. She also referred to the movie, “Peeping Tom”, in which a psychopath kills women with a weapon cloaked inside his camera (Sontag 13). I, on the other hand, have more to say about photos and in certain ways, cannot fully agree with what Sontag presents. For those of you who do not know who Susan Sontag (1933- 2004) was, she was an active author, intellectual, playwright, well-known cultural figure, and humanitarian. This example reveals the falseness of photos: that they can only be as true as anyone thinks, even if they are not. This is Susan Sontag's second book on photography and, like the first, published in 1977, it … At this end of the spectrum, deeming a photo completely perfidious would show as ridiculous. The psychological aspect of photography Sontag reveals is menacing, showing the hidden desires and motivations behind the action of taking photos. The idea of people automatically saving photographic information in their heads may appear gullible, but the motivation of people relying on photos to look into how the world really is, is the need for knowledge in order to survive. The psychological effects photography has on a person’s mind, for example, is vast. http://www.susansontag.com/SusanSontag/index.shtml Estate of Susan Sontag. In this essential and revelatory volume, Susan Sontag … 1. Almost every photography student has probably read it. On Photography On Photography is a 1977 collection of essays by Susan Sontag. In the Plato's Cave story, the shadows cast upon the wall that the trapped prisoners see are much different than the real objects in front of the fire (Cohen). Susan Sontag argues that photography does the same thing, appropriating reality to give people an image of it. StuDocu University. By JJ Sylvia IV – May 17, 2012 Posted in: Aesthetics, Beauty, Philosophy, Photography. She was an "outside-the-box" thinker and thought deeply about culture and values. It originally appeared as a series of essays in the New York Review of Books between 1973 and 1977. Sites with a … kolkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk, http://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/320/index.html, http://www.susansontag.com/SusanSontag/index.shtml. Basically Sontag is arguing a point that photography is a sort of false way of relating to the world because pictures can be so flawed, in essence, falsely interpreted. In a way, she is concluding that perhaps people think of photos as a window into how the real world is in actuality, or even save these images, especially of people, to stereotype people and easily organize how reality is in our world of mind-boggling amounts of information. Photography has been hugely implemented into families and all institutions, as Sontag points out, “…not turning up for one’s graduation picture is a sign of adolescent rebellion.” (Sontag 8). 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