Essays on Camera Lucida

Introduction

People take photographs for various reasons. Some take photographs to capture memories but for others, photography may also be used as a tool to create a statement, capture a meaningful message, and raise awareness about certain issues that concern society. Taryn Simon, an American artist, uses photography for this purpose. Although Simon uses various mediums such as graphic design and texts, the artist primarily uses photography to raise awareness about important issues. In Simon’s The Innocents (2003), the artist’s docuseries and photography book, she sought to raise awareness about flaws in the justice system, particularly wrongful convictions. In the book, ...

The TV set is today acknowledged as one of the most important components of any household and is practically present everywhere although the computer is rapidly also taking up this space. Although Michael Rush states that with appropriation, one may go back to television in its black and white form as art. Contemporary photography such as the photography of death is also an important art form which is perhaps slightly overlooked today and which has created several potential angles in the tackling of such art forms. Death in photography has always been a controversial subject and this continues to ...

Photography and death:

Introduction: Death in photography has always been a controversial subject and this continues to elucidate comments especially when considering the ethical implications of photography itself. Nostalgia is also an important element of photography and this has been revealed in several artist’s work most notably those like Sally Mann and Luc Delahaye who have both treated the subject of death with some detail especially in their portrayal of dead and decomposing bodies. When one writes about death in photography, we also have to deal with the ‘death of the subject’. After we press the shutter the subject 'dies' at ...

Introduction

Over the last 200 years, we as a society have gone through many changes. We’ve seen two wars on our own soil, 9 monarchs and 54 prime ministers. We’ve even seen the Chanute's hang glider of 1896, and we can now compare the first steps of the invention to what is now an aeroplane. Although there aren’t many of us in London now who were present for the 1st World War or the 2nd, photographs of soldiers in their trenches are available for the worlds viewing. The subject of death in photography has also been treated with ...

Photography and death:

Introduction: Death in photography has always been a controversial subject and this continues to elucidate comments especially when considering the ethical implications of photography itself. Nostalgia is also an important element of photography and this has been revealed in several artist’s work most notably those like Sally Mann and Luc Delahaye who have both treated the subject of death with some detail especially in their portrayal of dead and decomposing bodies. When one writes about death in photography, we also have to deal with the ‘death of the subject’. After we press the shutter the subject 'dies' at ...