The truth of photographic images has been challenged since the 19th century when the means for making them were invented. While the medium was embraced by the public at large, photographers have continued to grapple with the methods and techniques available to them, experimenting with technologies as they emerged and discovering the capacity of the medium to represent the world they experienced.
 
Photographs are inherently subjective in the ways in which they are made and perceived. There is no absolute truth in the photographic image. Photographers frame the reality that they see, whether the process is spontaneous or planned.

The truth of photography relies not only on the integrity of the image, but on its context and accessibility.

VIEWING TRUTH IN PHOTOGRAPHY

The themes can be viewed in sequence or in whichever order the viewer chooses. Select a theme from the menu bar at the top of the page, or click one of the buttons below.​​

FOCUS

Focus highlights photographers, organizations, and issues crucial to our understanding and questioning of Truth in Photography.

THE MERCILESSNESS OF THE SEA
Mikkel Hørlyck

Danish photographer Mikkel Hørlyck joined Doctors Without Borders to photograph the rescue of migrants and refugees on the Mediterranean Sea. His photographs reveal the humanity of both the refugees and the rescue crews.

THE POSTCARDS OF SUSAN TEEGARDIN

Susan Teegardin made three series of photo postcards, each focusing on distinctly different subjects: Piet Mondrian, American hotels with the names of foreign or exotic places, and dilapidated signs.

TRANSGENDER IDENTITY

An evocative cross-section of photographs of transgender people and LGBTQIA+ activism by Magnum photographers Olivia Arthur, Matt Black, Carolyn Drake, Moises Saman, Cristina García Rodero, Alex Webb, and Martin Parr.

LOVE SONGS

The International Center of Photography's exhibition, Love Songs: Photography and Intimacy (running June 1–September 11, 2023), was organized by renowned curator and writer Sara Raza. Aikaterini Gegisian and Ergin Çavuşoğlu are featured in this exhibition as well as in Words Without Photos, a sound installation by Alan Govenar in the Soho stairwell of the ICP.

THE SPONTANEOUS OTHER
Aikaterini Gegisian

Aikaterini Gegisian is a visual artist working largely with archival photographs and footage, using collage and montage to interrogate how meaning is created between images.

CAPTURING LIMINALITY
Ergin Çavuşoğlu

Artist Ergin Çavuşoğlu uses video installations, photography, and sculptures to capture liminality, the moments and ideas that are no longer visible, but can somehow still be felt or imagined.
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