Lecture 5 - A picture is worth a thousand words.

Getting back into the swing of things again, Bruce spoke this week about picture stories. Having been afforded the luxury of a portable lecture last week, I apparently forgot how much of a rush it is to get to the other side of uni in under ten minutes; I was quite late! However, I instantly knew we were discussing photos and images because of the photos on the slideshow.

It is this universal recognition and reaction to pictures which makes them so powerful. The first thing most people do when faced with a beautiful sight, a family reunion, a travel destination, is to remove a camera from wherever and take a few happy snaps. How can you describe the absolute beauty of a sunset over a temple on the east coast of Bali better than a photograph? Not to mention the many connotations associated with such a scene - one could not describe every persons feelings towards a place, however a photo will allow a viewer to establish their own feelings (although this can be cleverly manipulated with clever photography).

Bruce mentioned cave drawings and primitive illustrations, how as humans we are instinctively drawn to, well drawing and visually recording life. These prehistoric illustrations communicate to us modern day humans as no other form of 'media' would or could.

Fast forward many many years, and we come to the internet. The first photo on the web - what could it be? It was 1992, so perhaps Boris Yeltsin, the Barcelona Olympics, the Berlin Wall or the aftermath of Tiananmen Square? Nope, it was this:

First image on the internet

What about the first video? Surely it was a cat. Wrong again! Representative of the old 1.0, information based web, the first ever video on youtube was a boring, informative piece to camera about an elephant. Personally, I think it is a bit of a let down. Not that I like the cat videos or anything!

Despite the slightly disappointing initial contributions to online photos and videos, the concept has revolutionised the field of journalism. Combined with the increasing accessibility of cameras (my current phone takes a better picture than my first camera), recording and reporting news has never been easier. This also presents a whole new world of citizen journalists. Which is an issue for another day - I am undecided on that one!

So, all in all, what actually makes a good photo, in stark comparison to the 100 billion selfies on facebook?

"If it makes you laugh, if it makes you cry, if it rips out your heart, it's a good picture."
                                                                         Eddie Adams, Pulitzer Prize-wining photojournalist.