Individuals have a photographic and visual mind; hence looking at images makes them understand a situation better. People do not believe in rumors until they get sufficient evidence that confirms the truth of events. Media coverage uses images to catch the attention of viewers and readers. Journalists capture awkward situations that will attract and change the view of their audience, and this helps them to relay information effectively. In this case, photography is an appreciated aspect in our lives because it captures moments that have a lot of meaning and which serve to persuade and convince viewers.
In an environment where several photographs circulate, it is difficult to imagine that people can pay attention to one photo. Ken Burns confirms this when he states how he was worried that still images have been devalued, “that a picture was no longer worth a thousand words because there were so many of them” (Kirszner & Mandell, 2010, p.357). There is a lower probability that a single still photograph out of several of them would have any emotional impact on viewers. Furthermore, videos have become a common media of transferring information as audiences prefer to get full details of an event. Sound and images combined have become the main focus of people in this current society.
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World War II was one of the worst wars that the world has ever experienced. As World War II ended, Eisenhower sent film crews to Nazi concentration camps to photograph the effects of the war (Kirszner & Mandell, 2010, p.358). The reason why Eisenhower sent film crews was to collect evidence of the situation in camps, to show the world how the war affected innocent civilians. The photographs would make governments and warlords consider ending the war for the good of private citizens. Individuals have a visual memory, and by looking at an image, they will empathize with victims and strive to bring peace and avoid such issues in the future.
According to Brinkley, photos of violence in 1963, Birmingham, changed the laws and a system of bigotry. The images released during this period confirmed the extent to which human beings suffer as a result of violence. The viewers, government, and human rights activists could confirm the statistics and degradation of human life. The images necessitated a need to establish better laws that focus on protecting citizens. Therefore, people believe what they see and act to improve poor situations.
In my opinion, the ability of a photograph to capture the attention of an audience depends on the focus of a given image. For instance, the photo of a boy lying lifeless catches the attention of an audience because of the aspect of angle and focus of the camera. People tend to concentrate on images that show situations where helpless people are affected, making viewers show empathy to victims. As a result, they will devise ways to help the victims get out of these difficult circumstances.
References
Kirszner, L. G., & Mandell, S. R. (2010). Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Readers and
Guide, Bedford/St. Martin’s , 17 .
