The Insecurity of Photographic "Truth"

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Hey readers!


Welcome to blog post #9! Thank you for making it this far! This week I will be discussing photographic truth and the many ways we manipulate different aspects of our social media to hide our insecurities. 

Spending lots of time on social media can lead to feeling disconnected from and unsatisfied by the real world. Many people only show their best highlights on social media - the dates, trips, or even their new purchases. The mundane details of life are rarely shown, but you know they exist. While sharing accomplishments and updates isn't wrong, it can be taken to an extreme. People may begin to put a filter over every aspect of their lives to make things seem better than they really are. Between filters and the constant highlight reel we see on social media, we can feel like our lives don't measure up to the excitement of everyone else's. In turn, we may feel the desire to portray our own experiences as more exciting than they really are. We may manipulate the "the truth" or what is directly in front of us by using photoshop and filters to alter the viewer's experience.

Can photographs represent an accurate depiction reality?

Due to the mechanical nature of the camera, we are conditioned to accept that photographs always represent some type of lived experience or objective reality. Jurgenson states that, "photography deals with reality but always through manipulation" (Jurgenson, 97). 

The first image is the original and unedited photo. The camera is picking up what is exactly in front of it. I experimented by editing the photo playing with filters, changing the exposure, lighting, contrast, and even editing parts of my face to hide blemishes and whiten my teeth. Mia Fineman writes, "the desire and determination to modify camera images are as old as photography itself. Nearly every kind of manipulation we now associate with Photoshop was also part of photography's predigital repertoire..." (Jurgenson, 97). I think about how easy and accessible it is to make such quick changes to photos to hide the insecurities we may have. At times, we may think that the original or "true" photos we take are not "insta worthy." I honestly would not mine posting either photograph below on my social media, but it was interesting to explore the specific choices we make to manipulate how we want people to view our image or self-identity. 

I hoped you enjoyed reading! 

Hugs, 
Ashley <3






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