War Photography
This week’s reading is Susan Sontag’s “Regarding the Pain of Others”. “Regarding the Pain of Others” is an essay that looks into different aspects of war through the use of war photos and photographers. Within this essay war, photography is an essential and crucial factor that perpetuates and exemplifies Susan Sontag’s perspective and opinion upon war. Within this presentation, I hope to introduce war photography.
War photography is meant to portrait the variety of emotions that occur through war. “It is a form of photography that can either present the reality in it’s truest form or malign it.” (artstor.org) War photography usually has two large roles, one as a tool of communication for exposing the truth and the other as a tool for political propaganda regarding all warfare that occurs globally.
Images of war were recorded before the invention of photographs. Usually in the form of drawings, however not too precise and often flawed. The earliest war photo was taken back in 1847, when an unknown American photographer produced a series of fifty daguerreotypes depicting scenes from the Mexican-American war in Saltillo, Mexico. These images provide insight into daily life in midst of a war, however, does not depict active violence or death occurring from the war itself.
The first war to be extensively covered was the American Civil War. Although photography technology was not able to picture all the action, it was enough to capture the impact and effects of this bloodiest war with realism. During the World Wars, war photography was censored in order to prevent any essential information from leaking, moreover, protect the morale of the general public. War photography was censored and altered until the Vietnam War. During the Vietnam War, uncensored war photos were released to the public. Revealing war to the public in its truest form until then. Through these releases, the public started to develop a more realistic idea of the outcomes and process of warfare.
In modern-day due to the progression of technology records of war are presented not only through photography but also through video and different mediums of recording. However, the role of war photographers has not. War photographers hold the role of communicating the truth behind warfare. The images that they present to the audience alter’ their perception of war, thus it is important war photographers try to create images that are honest and precise to the realities of warfare. In “Regarding the Pain of Others”, Susan Sontag emphasizes and expands more upon the role and importance of war photography.
Citations
https://www.artstor.org/2016/11/11/seeing-is-believing-early-war-photography/
https://legionmagazine.com/en/2020/03/the-evolution-of-war-photography/
https://www.pbs.org/ktca/americanphotography/features/war_essay.html