Through the Lens: Challenging the Stigma Against Photography
By Ella Embry
When you stop and take a look around you, what is the main thing you notice? Technology. Whether this be computers, phones, televisions, etc. It’s surrounding our world. Changes like this can be scary, I’ll admit it. But the one timeless piece of machinery that always preserves the natural beauty we live in is the camera.
Let’s talk about camera culture, yes it's a real thing. I’m sure that you have heard more than once to get your eyes off of your phone. Whether this is at school or home, we always have our devices close by. When you are on a trip and your parents say to, “Get off your phone, enjoy the view around you.” But what if you are enjoying the view around you? Just in a different way. You are viewing it through the lens.
“Photographs are the universal language of our era. Everyone has hundreds, maybe thousands in their pocket,” said Kathy Ryan, Director of Photography at the New York Times Magazine (Time.com).
My first opportunity revolving Photography! Photo creds: @ellaembrymedia on Instagram.
No matter where you are in the world, a camera is always accessible. Whether you use your phone or own an actual camera, it is always available to you. You don’t even need wifi, which unlike other apps is what makes taking pictures easier. Through photographs, you can capture memories and tell stories just by one photo. As soon as you see something cool or come back from a trip, the one statement people ask you first is, “Show me pictures!”
“A successful photo story, when well-authored and edited, is universally understood. I once presented a photo story in China in silence to a professional photography group where the audience smiled, laughed, and fell quiet in all the right places — without a word in Mandarin or English. After the last frame, we all just beamed at each other. It was so thrilling,” said MaryAnne Golon, the Director of Photography at the Washington Post (Time.com).
As a child, we were given picture books. Books without words, just images to help us understand things easier. We’ve been understanding photography before we could even walk! Throughout your schooling, books and documentaries had pictures and videos to help you understand things easier. Once again, IT MAKES THINGS EASIER. I’m not one to bash on articles or books, but let's be honest. We all gradually navigate to the pages in books with bright colors and pretty pictures on them.
Getting to experiment with different types of cameras is all apart of the fun. This is a photo I took on a film camera in Maui, Hawaii.
It’s crucial and important for us to recognize the importance of photography and stop the stigma against it. Photography is never harming our society, it does nothing but benefit it. Without photos, we wouldn’t be able to look back on our history as a world. Without photos, we wouldn’t be able to inform and educate the future generations. It’s truly a larger skill and platform that we need.
At the end of the day, photography is so much more than just a photo on a screen. It’s a light for people and can be nurturing and uplifting. It’s not always an addiction to your phone or not being present in the moment. It’s a way to capture the Earth’s beauty and recognize it in your own perspective. Remember, photography MATTERS. Photographs’s MATTER. Without them, we would be lost.
If you would like to learn more about photography and its culture/importance, check out Time.com or NewYorkTimes.com.
