WINTER 2021
According to a 2020 Gallup/Knight poll, four in five Americans said the spread of misinformation online is “a major problem,” exceeding all other challenges posed by the media. During the 2020 election, the manipulation of the truth in photography was rampant in news reporting, political advertising, and social media. Photographic images, whether in print, video, or digital media have been and continue to be edited and re-contextualized.
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 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.
VIEWING TRUTH IN PHOTOGRAPHY
The exhibitions 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.
LOOKING FOR TRUTH IN A DIGITAL AGE
In 2021, an estimated 1.4397 trillion photographs will be made. In the digital age it is easier than ever for people to share photographs in a multitude of forms. The accuracy, meaning, and ethics of this documentation engender constant discussion, review, and debate. The context through which images are made and disseminated have become as important, if not more so, than the content alone.
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What is truth? What questions do photographs raise? Who owns the image – the photographer or the subject of the photograph? What is the relationship between photographer and subject and how is this defined, negotiated, and acknowledged? What are the consequences of making photographs? To what extent do photographs serve human needs? How do photographs express universal values? When is a photograph evidence and when is it interpretation? When do photographs become political or propaganda? What is the border between truth and fiction? And how do we know the difference?
The border is one of the most compelling metaphors of our time.
The border is the threshold between what we know and what we struggle to comprehend.
The border is one of the most compelling metaphors of our time.
The border is the threshold between what we know and what we struggle to comprehend.
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Freedom and slavery.
Health and illness. Wealth and poverty. Wisdom and ignorance. Life and death. |
The border is at once geographical and psychological, and can engender anxiety, fear, and potentially, violence. Today, immigration and the U.S.-Mexico Border Wall are two of the most pressing issues of our time.
The photographs and videos presented here reflect diverse perspectives on the reality of the border.
The photographs and videos presented here reflect diverse perspectives on the reality of the border.
Flickr Photos
Many different views of the border can be found online and on social media. The below photos are from photo-sharing site Flickr.
Balloon Vendor - US/Mexico Border Fence. Despite the serious nature of the US/Mexico border fence at the beach in Tijuana, a balloon vendor attempts to bring some joy. April 25, 2009. Photograph by Romel Jacinto.
Wall of Crosses in Nogales.
White crosses with the names of those who have died crossing the US border adorn the Mexican side of the wall in Heroica Nogales, Mexico. September 17, 2009. Photograph by Jonathan McIntosh.
Frontera. Photo from the US-Mexico border. September 10, 2013. Photograph by journalist Brooke Binkowski.
Frontera. Photo from the US-Mexico border. September 10, 2013. Photograph by journalist Brooke Binkowski.
End of the Wall. The spot where the US border wall meets the pacific ocean. September 20, 2009. Photograph by Jonathan McIntosh.
A soldier from the 36th Infantry Division, Texas Army National Guard observes a section of the Rio Grande River at sunset. He is serving at the Texas-Mexico border in support of Operation Strong Safety. September 11, 2014. U.S. Army photograph by Maj. Randall Stillinger.
North Carolina Army National Guard Private First Class Holt Duggins, 252nd Combined Arms Battalion, Fayetteville, North Carolina, looks through his binoculars at an area of the Mexican border in San Luis, Arizona. National Guard Soldiers are working with the US Border Patrol in support of Operation JUMP START. Photograph by TSGT Brian E. Christiansen, USAF.
US-Mexico border fence. October 9, 2014. Photograph by Sheila Ahmadi.
Solidarity march with immigrants and refugees. About 3000 people gathered in Powderhorn Park to stand in solidarity with immigrants and refugees. The protesters spoke against Donald Trump's immigration ban and the increasing militarization at the US-Mexico border. After a brief rally in the park, they marched through south Minneapolis on Lake Street. February 18, 2017. Photograph by Fibonacci Blue.
Rally in solidarity with immigrants and refugees. About 3000 people gathered in Powderhorn Park to stand in solidarity with immigrants and refugees. The protesters spoke against Donald Trump's immigration ban and the increasing militarization at the US-Mexico border. After a brief rally in the park, they marched through south Minneapolis on Lake Street. February 18, 2017. Photograph by Fibonacci Blue.
THE ETHICS OF TRUTH
ETHICS OF SEEING
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The Civil War
The Civil War was the first major conflict to be extensively photographed, bringing the horrific images of war to the eyes of people nationwide. But were those images truthful? What were the ethics of war photography at this early stage in the history of photography?
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“The very nature of what is photographed and how is heavily affected by the influence of admired photographers with distinct personal visions, patterns of success in contests and the traditions and expectations of the commissioning body. Style, lens choice, position, what to show and what to exclude in the framing, editing, equipment choice, toning, sequence are all manipulative and subjective.”
~Peter Van Agtmael ”Why Facts Aren't Always Truths in Photography,“ Time magazine, May 12, 2016 |
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The Last Look
Photographs of death can raise difficult ethical questions. Establishing the social and cultural context of the photographs is critical to their understanding.
Among African Americans, photographs of deceased loved ones, usually in an open casket in a church or funeral home are often called “The Last Look.” About these photographs, Larry O’Shea Johnson, Sr. Pastor of the Greater True Light Baptist Church in Dallas, has said, “For many black people, the Last Look pictures reflect with the idea of homegoing meaning heaven. Normally, people take these pictures or have them made in a tasteful way to preserve the memory of that person, and for family reasons, to show grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”
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“Last Look” photographs. 1950-1992. Photographs by Curtis Humphrey. Texas African American Photography Archive.
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A short video directed by Alan Govenar about Curtis Humphrey working in his darkroom. Photographer Curtis Humphrey (1907-1996) made “Last Look” photographs for African Americans in East Texas.
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