Reading Response: “In Our Own Image” Fred Ritchin

Compared to the early stages of photography, photos now have more potential to show what is there as well as what isn’t and objectivity or subjectivity. As a result, photos today can move much more between themes, moods, and styles because of a growing lack of restriction. This freedom is what Ritchin intends to portray by calling the digital, fluid in contrast to the “fidelity of the mechanical age.” Photographs are no longer limited to a present and tangible reality. Digital means make it possible to convey much more. An example is the photo shown below titled “The died for Freedom” This photo uses photographic and digital editing elements together to convey a message. It is clearly not a photo taken of a real event.

Photography has become a culmination of multiple other means of capturing reality. It can tell a story without words. Photos have the ability to show a real situation, tangible and visible in the world. They can also, because of the progression of technology, show non-tangible, non-visible realities. They can convey emotions, thoughts, and fantasies. Furthermore, photos can show moments of reality that cannot be replicated for the eye to see.

Along with the development of technology came the ability for photos to have movement like a video and engage in dialogue like text. The difference is that photos can be more up to interpretation. At times, in the case of photos, what is presented at the surface must be pieced together with context to understand the meaning, story, and even what is conveyed in the photo. This brings the capabilities of photography closer to those of other forms of media. There can now be that which is present and that which must be understood in a photo.