Confronting bias in photography is a topic that I spend a chunk of time talking about in my Intro to Photography class. Photography is filled with bias. No matter how you cut it, you can’t get away from that fact. A photograph is merely a representation of the photographer’s perception of reality. When you are behind the lens, you are choosing what to focus on and what you will crop out.
A Portrait Session With a Twist
Created by The Lab, in conjunction with Canon Australia, the following video clip takes a look at how portraits can be shaped by a photographer’s point of view.
Six photographers individually enter the studio and meet their subject, Michael. Each are give a different back-story about him. Interestingly enough, the resulting portraits are very different. It’s a really eye-opening experience that makes you think how portraits should be created.
You don't take a photograph, you make it.
So, why should we care? There's bias in everything, right?
Sure, we can see bias in many different areas. The important thing is whether or not we can recognize its presence. Many time, the media will use images (both still and moving) to accompany their stories. Depending on how the written word helps to frame the image, viewers can sometimes end up being misled.
For example, photos taken of a political rally early on in the evening before the majority of people showed up can be used to create the idea that it was poorly attended. Likewise, an event can be portrayed as more violent or more peaceful depending on what the photographer chooses to focus on. I’d like to believe that this type of bias is unintentional, but sometimes it’s not. Perceptions can be manipulated.
Beyond the staging aspect, these days photographers have been known to exaggerate images using Photoshop. Unfortunately, this practice has led to Photoshop sometimes having a negative connotation to it. Truth be told, image manipulation was something done long before the days of Photoshop.
Whether it be to portray a certain perspective or for political persuasion, images are not always what they appear to be.
Photographs are the most powerful weapons in the world. People believe them, but photographs do lie, even without manipulation. They are only half-truths.
Let’s take this discussion to the comment section. Can a photographer’s own bias be reflected in their photography? Is it even an issue that we should be concerned about?
