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Is a photograph about what the photographer saw, or what the viewer sees? Does a photograph have meaning beyond what is depicted?
This crystalline image, for example, is imbued with tremendous sociological weight. It speaks of commodity fetishism, of alienation, of objectification and corporatism. It’s a visual representation of decontextualized, consumer-driven, generic modernity.
It’s also a pretty picture. The colors are pleasing, the composition is charming, the subject matter sparks a smile. We can almost hear the ecstatic voice of Homer Simpson, “Mmmm…fooood.”
People who see the image through a sociological lens might sneer at those in the Homer Simpson School, and the Simpsonites might sneer at the eggheads who make everything an intellectual exercise. But the photograph remains the same, as does the question. Is the photograph about what the photographer saw, or what the viewer sees?
Blog photograph copyrighted to the photographer and used with permission by utata.org. All photographs used on utata.org are stored on flickr.com and are obtained via the flickr API. Text is copyrighted to the author, greg fallis and is used with permission by utata.org. Please see Show and Share Your Work
