The camera never lies: The partiality of photographic evidence

During the discovery of photography, the image was still suprème. In the nineteenth century, even the most acute minds almost uncritically accepted the photograph as evidence. In the meantime, however, the most world famous news photos are known to depict a 'reality' more or less manipulated by the photographer. The same is true of many images and scènes from documentaries. In his article, Brian Winston claims that, properly considered, this implies the liberation of the realistic image. The image no longer has to carry a burden that in fact has always been too much for it. However, awareness of photography's manipulative character also implies that the cultural status of the (photographic) image must be determined anew.

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