week 13: Positive Images

Positive Images

Summerana, Photography tips and tools for photographers example, Weekly Top Ten – Before/After Edit  

    What are photographs and how do they affect us today, what kind of power does photos have? Well in this weeks reading we talked about positive images and tackled the ideas of same sex art depictions, We read about the power of images and what it can depicts, as well as how images create a form of representation to the people; especially for subcultures within society.

    When we think of photos it can be thought as showing an altered reality, with today's technology we can take photos and videos and edit them so easily to make ourselves appear better to brighten an atmosphere and make the beaches look more fascinating or almost magical with photos we show this perfected idea of reality but I wouldn’t think that reality is completely exposed and reflected in photos, because of the technology we have we can see these altered versions of everyone's reality we can see everything. When we take photos and videos we are capturing memories and this helps us to remember the moments forever, or as long as that image stays with you, then you get the chance to keep remembering the moment, just as when we find old pictures and it may be baby images but we get to see us, past us the parts of us that we forget can be exposed with photos and videos. We see this past self we may have forgotten or outgrown and to look back at something you forgot really gives you this admirable feeling of the past.

    When image are made and depicted for the subcultures of society then that representation becomes very important to that subculture. When you imagine why these images must be important and positive it’s because of that lack of representation for subcultures. When there isn’t much diversity within film movies those depictions you do get are gonna hold a high standard to really show off who they want to be shown as; through that character on screen. To be wrongly seen by the public is almost embarrassing but when that depiction can be positive then your given an someone to idealize and it boost your confidence to see someone like you playing a good role in a movie or tv show it resonates with you. When a representation is not accurate and shows negative stereotypes to these subculture there is bound to be an outburst of negative response to that character because the little representation that subcultures get they aren’t going to like that its a negative image of who they are, no one wants to resonate with a bad character in a film but if that character looks like you, your automatically gonna feel a connection with that character and your gonna judge the way that character is portrayed because it makes the most sense to connect with a character that is like you, looks alike, or acts the way you’d prefer to see yourself as.

    When making images for lesbians they tend to stay away form showing sexuality back in 1960s-70s because normally it wasn’t an important factor for the art works but also it was a fear for when lesbian sexuality was depicted it was looked down on and seen as something shameful. In an are exhibit there was a piece that was interactive for women to leave their comments on the wall with the art it was calling “drawing the line” in a kiss and tell project and the author wrote how women reacted towards the photographs presented in the show she said, 1“Watching lesbians cancel each other's work - Including the framed photographs, which several times were scrawled across with big black pens - is not a pretty sight. Clearly it does not arise out of a wish to protect anyone else, to initiate a debate, to frame an argument. It arises out of complex individual resistances transmuted into social behaviours designed to assuage one's own dis-case by projecting that dis-case onto other viewers' experiences, which must then be monitored and censored.” (pg.406) It was like watching women disapprove of their actions and the representation, it wasn’t appreciated but instead women judged it saying mean thing about the women or shaming the image but the models were the exact same women and their intimacy was the factor being changed in these images and women weren’t being supportive but I feel that would be almost expected in that time and era as being open about sexuality wasn’t very popular in the 60s or 70s it was a hidden and quiet thing no one talked about it and definitely didn’t openly make art on it. Today that same exhibition would probably have different reactions and comments because within time things and viewpoints have changed and movements to support LGBTQ+ is rising and being recognized. Back then the women were too focused on the actions of the image to really appreciate the work as an art. But when does art become like pornographic images? How much nude is too much? I feel that art can show naked men, naked women, and a naked man with a naked women but it can be art, from the way that the art is being displayed for the viewer is it natural, can an emotional state be felt or seen what is the image showing. I feel those all play part in how the art may stay away from being porn. When I think of something pornographic I image it would show sexual intercourse, being very explicit but art has a deeper meaning to being naked, like it communicates to the viewer a state of self; the vulnerability, confidence and how the artist tries to depict their nude model. Still seeing naked bodies can cause this uncomfortable feeling with viewers and completely affect the way they view an art piece. The idea of labeling art that shows lesbian sexuality as pornographic is harming to artist who want to make intimate art of same sex models and expressing the ideology of same sex lovers. But having a label like pornographic attached to art of lesbians is very discouraging and shows how censored society is to the ideas of same sex lovers.

    Photos hold so much power and can influence emotions as well as creating pieces that can be manipulated and alter a reality of life into this fantasy realm of perfection. Images connect people with others through social media, images are a form of expression and even a mask to make life appear “perfect”.
























Citations_


Grover, Jan, et al. Jan Zita Grover – Lesbian and Queer Practices- 'Framing the Questions: Positive Imaging and Scarcity in Lesbian Photographs' . 1991, https://lms.hypothes.is/lti_launches .

1- pg.406