Anthony McMahon

COM-101

9/1/19

The Truth Behind the Photo

Since the dawn of photographic, self-portraits have been the highlight of photography itself. Self-portraits offer what seems as just a simple photo to the naked eye, but if you dive a little deeper, a plethora of questions can be raised from a single image. Without context of a photo, or background information, a photo is practically meaningless. It lies there unknown, as one wonders its true meaning. Deep thinking questions are what make a self-portrait so important. Within the photo it’s a mystery, for the observer, it’s imaginary. As industrialization changed the way of the camera, a new term was born, selfie. As the camera phone soon took over society, the selfie took over as the new, prominent image of one displaying their face. Together the two types of images have engulfed our society to become a picture first world. With the tool of social media, our society has been saturated of self-admiration photos of ourselves and others.

The variation of the photo for a selfie compared to a self-portrait is deeper than one might think. A selfie is an up-close view of an individual’s distinct facial structure. One will observe common features such as hair and eye color. Other keen objects of interest within a selfie may stand out to represent the individual. The basis of the selfie gives you a generalization of the person. But truth be told, the selfie is worn as a mask to who an individual really is.

As you can see in the selfie of myself it’s a pretty normal picture from first glimpse. It’s a front facing selfie, as I pose with a straight looking face. A regular kid with some sunglasses on, a visor, and his hair greased up straight. A mole sits upon my upper lip, sticking out distinctively. In the reflection from the sunglasses you can see a lake in view. Tall pine trees, and a dazzling blue sky set the background. An observant eye may notice the water, more specifically a boat. As you can see, the selfie doesn’t clearly go into much depth of who I really am. Instead it informs the viewer simply what I look like. One may provide assumptions of who I really am within the image, but the truth is, this photo masks my true identity.

The basis of the self-portrait is to take a photo with a little more meaning behind it. One may stand next to an object he wants to remember, or a monument as proof you were there. Very commonly the background sets the basis of the image, while one places themselves inside of it. In the case of my self-portrait, I stand triumphantly holding a speaker above my head. I gaze in the distance, smiling happily in the setting before me. It isn’t a self-portrait of myself posing in any manner, instead the photo was taken without my knowledge at all. An almost secret glance into who I am in the picture, as I am caught off guard. The context of the photo goes back to my graduation party. Up till the break of dawn. I stand on top of a picnic table in a state of euphoria. As the night winds down, and my friends stand before me, the photo captures a true image of who I really am. One may impose with that context of the self-portrait that it’s just a candid photograph of myself having a good time. But deeper than that, the photo represents my most honest self. A true state of freedom. A photo of myself were I don’t wear a mask to cover up, instead, an opening to who I really am.

What’s happening behind the camera is truly never exposed, thus leaving the viewer full of questions never to be answered. Sontag touches upon this abruptly in her writing, saying that one never understands anything from a photograph, they simply fill in the blanks in our mental pictures of the past and present. As well as continuing to say,” the camera’s rendering of reality must always hide more than it discloses.” (Sontag p. 23) This poses true in all photographs that one views. Within the photo one can deeply analyze what is happening, and form opinions and beliefs on that specific photo. However, a camera can only capture so much, leaving what’s happening behind the camera a gaping mystery. A fact that has left viewers questioning images since the beginning of photography.

How I perceive these two images of myself are very straightforward. The selfie as I said before, directly says to the viewer that I look this way and this is how I am as a person. Not in depth in any way, but it gives a general idea of who they are by putting a face to the name. Comparable to a profile picture, it shows the user selfie, but the true human inside, that identity cannot be known until you look past that image. On the other hand, the self portrait of myself differs from the selfie as it offers an insight into who I am as a person. The photo is more open to myself. I pose shirtless, and perceive to be content in my setting. Without a mask on, the viewer can truly embrace a photograph for what it is, as well as open up for a deeper type of thinking. An individual’s thoughts and questions of a self-portrait signify the depth and impact of a single photo. Together these two photos make up an identity to who I am.

If an individual was to view two photos side by side, one a selfie, and the other a self-portrait, many wouldn’t think too long and hard about what is happening within the photograph. Most individuals would give a simple glance of the two photographs and never really think about the images again. This is pretty normal behavior as society is put in an environment where selfies and self-portraits are everywhere. The easy access to a camera has offered anyone and everyone to photograph themselves whenever they please. Unfortunately, this wide arrange of photos that people view on the daily, has blinded us so much that a selfie nor self-portrait claims any real meaning anymore. Susan Sontag explains in her writing, In Plato’s Cave, the over exposure of an image. “But after repeated exposure to images it also becomes less real. The shock of photographed atrocities wears off with repeated viewings.” (Sontag p. 20) Sontag beautifully expresses how the over saturated environment of similar photos, diminishes the value and meaning of them. In context, Sontag reveals how individuals acquaint to these congruent photos, such as pornography, or wartime horror. At first, these wild images ignite mixed emotions and most people deem pleasure from the viewing. But as humans, we adapt to our environments, human nature welcomes objects, images, and people that we are comfortable and used to. As time turns, the images that flood through our eyes are not nearly as interesting. They’re just photos, that no one really questions anymore, because they’ve been seen so commonly seen.

Conforming to this idea raised by Sontag is the use of social media, and its powerful grasp on photography today. As one discovers anything new and electric, they are to submerge in its pleasure. Social media offers this thrill by unmasking your peer’s true identity with only a couple swipes on their phone. Selfies, self-portraits and pictures with friends, photos of all kinds display an individual’s background. Admiring fellow peers, and raises questions within the pictures themselves. As the exposure to social media intensifies, scrolling through the self-admiration pictures of family and friends soon to be duplicates. The perspective of the photograph declines, interest is lost. Most of these pictures are soon forgotten, meaningless, as one scrolls to view a similar clone. The questions the photos hold, never to be answered. As Sontag said, repeated exposure to images generates it to be so much less important.

Photography as a whole has been a blessing to society since it originated. It has taught the human race a lot about themselves and others. People can hide behind a mask in certain photos but changing the way a photo is taken or where it is can unfold a whole new world into who someone is. With a click of a button someone’s life can all be out there depending on how much they are willing to show.

Works Cited

Sontag, Susan. “In Plato’s Cave.” On Photography, Dell Publishing, 1977, pp. 3-24. Composition Flipped, writing101.net/flip/wp-content/resources/documents/sontag-in-platos-cave.pdf.