AP World themes
Social
Parade, Hoboken, New Jersey, 1955 by Robert Frank
Funeral - St Helena, South Carolina by Robert Frank
Drive-in Movie, Detroit by Robert Frank
We Have Received Orders Not to Move by Barbara Kruger
Photography transformed the way people communicate with people. Phrases like "show, don't tell" and "a picture is worth a thousand words" are spoken often for a reason. Photography became a way to convey truth for people worldwide, and communicates experiences in ways that words never could. History transformed from something distant to something real because of photography's ability to witness the world. Painting and sculpture all occur after the fact, and so photography's ability to witness a moment and capture it for future generations greatly affected the way we communicate as a society and the effectiveness of that communication. If Robert Frank had told America they were more complex and grittier than wholesome apple pies and majestic landscapes with simple words, he would have gained no attention. But with his project The Americans, Robert Frank was able to show America that underneath the American Dream was a society tense with race, class and other inequalities. His images were undeniable because of their veracity, and thus it struck a chord with the nation.
The new art form also caused people to bond over it. Galleries appeared throughout the world, and associations supporting their idea of photography have formed the development of the art throughout the years. Today people subscribe to photo journals and magazines that provide striking photography, such as National Geographic and Vogue. Photography's popularity has allowed niches of photography, such as architectural, fashion, travel, and nature photography.
Photography was also influential as it gave.a voice to women, people of color, and the working class in ways they had not before. Artists like Barbara Kruger critiqued societies expectation of women, while others such as Carrie Mae Weems photographed people of color to give them a voice. The working classes were also photographed by a plethora of photographers, such as Dorothea Lange, Jacob Riis, and Lewis Hine. John Barnardo photographed the homeless children he took under his wing and used the images to encourage foster care in London. All of the above were able to critique society because photography gave them a voice.
Lastly photography has changed the way we see the world around us. Most recognizably, the way we see celebrities and models. Upon the creation of digital photography, fashion magazines and others
New Orleans (Trolly) by Robert Frank
Men's room, railway station by Robert Frank
Men's room, railway station by Robert Frank
It's a Small World by Barbara Kruger
From Here I Saw What Happened and I Cried, 1995–1996 by Carrie Mae Weems
Children photographed by John Barnardo
Photo by Lewis Hine
Photo by Lewis Hine
A boy and several men pause from their work inside a sweatshop by Jacob Riis
A young girl, holding a baby, sits in a doorway next to a garbage can by Jacob Riis
Political
The Hague by Erich Salomon
The Valley of the Shadow of Death by Roger Fenton
An Italian rag picker sits inside her home on Jersey Street by Jacob Riis
Bloody Sunday by H S Wong. This image provoked Western powers into what would become World War II
Tank Man by Jeff Widener
Photography affected politics by giving the general populous the ability to see what goes on inside the government and in warfare. A famous photograph, The Hague by Erich Salomon, was influential as the first informal photograph of government leaders. Depicting them lounging around in a conference room, the image was a new concept to the public. Photos by Roger Fenton in the Crimean War portrayed unpolished war to the general public for the first time. His images depicted war and wastelands, juxtaposing the heroic paintings and grand descriptions of war in the past. It also had the reverse effect, as it allowed photographers to show their representatives what needed to be resolved. Jacob Riis photographed slum life in New York City so profoundly that Theodore Roosevelt embraced his reform projects. As a Police Commissioner in New York he helped Riis to make streets cleaner and safer, and Roosevelt remained friends with Riis all through his presidency. Additionally photojournalism has impacted politics as newspapers and journals are able to display campaigns, representatives, and important events for the public to see. Not only can official news sources provide this information, but citizens can as well. This access to photography has brought a new understanding to government issues such as terrorism, through profound images of events such as 9/11. Public officials can no longer control the pictures the public is provided, and thus are under more public scrutiny than ever before. Additionally these photos, provided by the public or the official, can now travel faster than ever before. Whereas before news of warfare or politics would have taken a long time to reach every corner of a nation, now detailed images can be provided in seconds. In some nations photography is restricted because of its veracity, certain images banned because they do not conform to the ideal the government wishes to uphold. Most recently this has been discovered in China's censorship of iconic photos from Tiananmen Square.
Group of the 47th Regiment
in Winter Dress by Roger Fenton
Men Seated by Railroad
Bed Under Construction by Roger Fenton
A man observes the sabbath in the coal cellar on Ludlow Street where he lives with his family by Jacob Riis
Memphis, Tennessee, 29 March 1968 by unknown. This image brings MLK Jr. to Memphis
Photographs of September 11th, 2001 by various artists
Winston Churchill by Yousuf Karsh
Interaction with Environment
Photography has had a powerful effect on how we take care of the environment as photographers record the natural world around them. Photographers like Edward Weston and Ansel Adams photographed the beauty and majesty of the natural world and inspired land conservation campaign and public interest in national parks in the United States. But more powerful than images of beauty in nature, are the images of the destruction we bring to it, and the demand for change. Photographers around the world have taken photos of pollution and other atrocities the human population brings to the environment. A notable activist was American photographer W. Eugene Smith. He traveled to Minamata, Japan to photograph the victims of Minamata disease (a type of mercury poisoning) occurring there due to the Chisso Corporations waste methods. Smith published the photos in a book, and consequently was beaten by company body guards to the point of blindness in one eye and damaged health. He kept the book in circulation, and the Japanese government forced the Chisso Corporation to clean up the bay and pay over $86 million in damages to 10,000 affected individuals. Overall the demonstration of malevolent interactions with the environment by photographers has influenced change for the better. Prior to these images populations could ignore the devastation of the environment around them, but these photos demand our attention.
Gates of the Valley by Ansel Adams
Jeffery Pine, Sentinel Dome by Ansel Adams
Skull and Rock Arrangement by Edward Weston
Sand Dunes, Ocean California by Edward Weston
JAPAN. Minamata. Iwazo FUNABA's crippled hands. She is a victim of the Minamata disease. 1971 by W. Eugene Smith
JAPAN. Minamata. Takak ISAYAMA, a 12 year old fetal (congenital) victim of the Minamata Disease, with her mother. 1971 by W. Eugene Smith
JAPAN. Minamata Bay. Tomoko UEMURA, a victim of mercury poisoning, is taken to the Central Pollution Board, during the Victims of the Minamata disease versus the Chisso Chemical Plant trial. 1971 by W. Eugene Smith
JAPAN. Industrial waste from the Chisso Chemical Plant being dumped into Minamata Bay. 1971 by W. Eugene Smith
Culture
As an art form, photography has had a profound impact on culture. Not only has this art been able to transform what society looks for in the art world, but it has transformed the way we communicate. Most of social media is based on the sharing and sending of pictures, however mundane, through social media like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. Since the creation of photography, the art has been embraced by every community imaginable. People of every color, ethnicity, gender and age have been able to represent themselves with this new form of art, and these expressions allow us to experience the world as never before. It has made the world more interconnected by allowing us all to bear witness to the wonders and disasters of the world.