Morrow believed that photos help people learn a lot about themselves
Lance Morrow often proclaimed that photographs could prompt reflection. He also believed that a camera steals something from the human soul and even wrote an article called ‘Imprisoning Time in a Rectangle.’ Morrow observed that the cumulative effect of associating pictures with text was prevalent in his age whenever people took photos. Therefore, Morrow believed that photos help people learn a lot about themselves, especially when the photograph is considered meaningful.
Morrow’s Notion
In his article called Imprisoning Time, Morrow explained that a photograph would strip off a subject’s being not to form life but to form a piece of memory. He thus compared taking photos to peeling onions. Since onions have layers, peeling a layer does not change the identity of the onion. Thus Morrow reasoned that taking a picture is similar to peeling an onion, whereby the image represents a particular aspect of an individual’s life. Furthermore, Morrow says that photos are imprisoned in rectangular frames since no one can go back to the moment captured by photos. However, he says that the only means that one can go back to the moments captured in photos is through memory. Morrow had observed the powerful capacity of photos to make people experience thoughts and memories. Morrow did a study on pictures taken by photojournalists and their impact on having the legitimacy of giving information or news. He describes that photojournalism is not self-conscious at first, but it becomes significant when the message sinks into context and help people realize an event that took place in the past. Therefore, Morrow also termed photojournalism as a draft of history.
Personal Opinion
From Lance Morrow’s article, I learned that the public misinterpreted his statements about photographs. However, his article explains his angry proclamations about photos and their ability to learn about ourselves from the pictures. I support Morrow’s notion since a photograph gives a strong memory about the past. I relate this to the present world where most people keep photos in their galleries and google drive so that they can have memories of their remarkable experiences in life. Also, when I look at pictures of past moments, I experience a flashback of the moments. Therefore, photos can ‘imprison time’ as described by Morrow. In addition, photos prompt us to view ourselves in the lens of our own eyes. For example, when looking at my photos, I reflect my personality with the photo by considering specific aspects such as my facial expression or pose.
In conclusion, Lance Morrow had a strong impression of the impact of photos. His proclamations prompted people to consider photos in a new perspective and practically proof whether photos can be meaningful, as Morrow proclaimed.