...As a photographer, the challenges of representation are experienced on a daily basis.  Photographers are always encountering people of different cultures, classes, religions, races and genders.  American photographer, Ansel Adams, highlights this, when he says, “Photography, as a powerful medium of expression, and communications offer an infinite variety of perception, interpretation and execution.” Because representation is subjective, there are challenges with how one portrays something, and how the portrayal is received. 

 

According to Hall (1997: 15), “Representation connects meaning and language to culture.” However, everything can be represented, and viewed in a number of ways.  In photography, how the photographer sees the subject, and how he wants everyone else to see it, affects the representation of the person, animal or object being photographed.  How the subject projects himself for the photographer also has an impact on the final product, which will be a result of the relationship with and trust in the photographer.  These views and representations may also change over time, because more time spent together will affect how the subject is seen and photographed, often resulting in a more realistic representation of it.  Who the viewer is and their own personal experiences will also have an affect on representation, because their cultural background and beliefs will influence their interpretations...

 

(Sunday 8 March, 2015)