Week 8 - PHOTOGRAPHY

For week 8 , we were introduced to the world of Photography. We were taught to understand the relations between photographs with memory and space and as a cultural critique. According to Oliver Wendell Holmes (1859, p.145), he called photography “the mirror with a memory”. This is because photographs has been associated with memories and it is meant to freeze time and space.

In this week’s journal, I would like to explore about photographs as a cultural critique. The reason why  I wish to write about cultural critique for photographs  this week is because after understanding the whole lecture of photography, I realised the importance of the power of photographs and how it is able to change the perception of an individual’s view and at the same time attach meanings to the photograph. Here, I would like to highlight on the possible social critique about the photograph that I have personally taken in a drag show held in a Hotel in Brunei.

The photograph above shows 3 men who dresses up like women and dance for the audience during a Wedding in the Hotel. The photograph shows  the discourses of homosexuality , gay, entertainment, lack of religious belief, unfulfilled desire etc.  Hence, the ideologies that are portrayed in the image above is that men prefer to become women, love within the same sex, having problems with the society and many more.

By looking at this image, it raises many controversial issues especially in a country like Brunei where there is strong religious beliefs and especially where MIB is practised. Drag dances like this are strictly prohibited in the country. According to a number of photographers in Europe and America, “the functions of photographs was to show the world as it had never been seen before”(p.26, n.d). This dragshow photograph was taken in a private function, and through this image, other people who are not in the function are also able to catch a glimpse of the events happening where they will not be able to see without the camera. According to Wright (1999)  'A photographer is able to place him or herself in a privileged position/location to bring social or political issues to the attention of the viewers'. This image also can raise many politics such as the politics of poverty, struggle within personality, homosexuality, religion etc.

Just imagine, if this photograph above is taken by a photo journalist and  published  in the local newspaper, there will be many people who will criticize this image due to the values of the religion in the country as well as going against the norm and values. According to Sontag (1979, p.40), she is concerned about the ethics between a photographer as a reporter and the person, place or circumstances recorded. Given that theory of ‘load’ and shoot for a photo journalist, the photographs might be used for “policing and incrimination”. This image will definitely raise many questions and with no doubt it will involve many people to criticize this image. This will in turn reflect the image of the drag-dancers as well as their reputation. Critic Victor Burgin (1982, p.39) distinguishes the difference between photography theory and criticism theory. He argues that ‘photography theory must be interdisciplinary and must engage with process of signification. However, photograph criticism is evaluative and normative, authoritative and opinionated.”

Nevertheless, photographs plays a very powerful role in influencing the viewers perception towards any situation thus photographers need to be careful especially when they are already invading other people’s privacy with the camera. This is because photographs carries a memory for other people and we may never know whether the picture taken will hurt the subject or not.

REFERENCE

Wells,L. (1997). Thinking about photography. Photography : A Critical Introduction. London : Routledge.

Wright,T.(1999). Photography as a cultural critique. Photography handbook. London and New York : Routledge. Retrieved August 20, 2010, from UBD Ebrary Website.

Holmes, O.V (1980), Photography : Essay and Images , London : Secker and Warburg

Sontag, S. ( 1979), On Photography, Harmondsworth : Penguin