In “The Picture Problem,” Gladwell analyzed the
interpretation of photographs in two realms we do not often relate to
photography, creating an interesting perspective of the viewing and progression
of photography today. Gladwell made connections to United States Air Force
fighter jets and mammography. The photographs relevant to the U.S. Air Force
fighter jets were taken with a state of the art camera and are considered concrete
evidence of what was below the plane during an operation to destroy rockets,
called Scud launchers. However, these photos, “Need to be interpreted, and the
human task of interpretation is often a bigger obstacle than the technical task
of picture-taking,” leaving room for human error (Gladwell). Similarly,
Gladwell compares this possibility of human error to the reading of mammograms.
However, mammograms are significantly more difficult to interpret due to their crude
nature. The thought provoking material Gladwell provides us with questions
whether or not we rely too much on an image to tell us the truth, when in
reality the truth, “has to do with going beyond the picture” (Gladwell). The
truth can also be found using alternative senses, but perhaps it is not as comfortable
for humans because we cannot confirm right or wrong as clearly, nor is it as
easy to communicate senses such as touch to another individual, making visual
conformations a more assured alternative, reflecting back to the Canadian
studies of clinical breast examinations vs. mammograms. Though photography has
confirmed factual evidence in previous circumstances, such as the end of ventre à terre, it is important to keep
in mind that not everything we see is true. A picture may not be able to lie
but it is possible for the human eye to be deceived.
2 comments:
Megan, I loved what you said at the end – that "a picture may not be able to lie but it is possible for the human eye to be deceived." I also think that you have an interesting point that sometimes the senses can be unreliable – in contrast to what Gladwell wrote about the Canadian study, I had an experience where I had sought medical attention for a lump, and the doctor had diagnosed it as a cyst based on touch. However, after following up with another doctor who ordered imaging, it actually turned out to be a (benign) tumor. So in that case, the imaging did actually offer results that the doctor couldn't. Like you are saying, sometimes it might be more comfortable for a doctor to rely on an image if they don't trust their initial senses, and maybe, like Gladwell said, it's a matter of the doctor's temperament.
I enjoy and relate similarly to the point that you are bringing up Megan. I found that this article was making a point to challenge ones own senses and to question what may seem to be a truth. One thing that you said that I do not particularly agree with is that you said a picture cannot lie. I think this is true to some extent. A picture may not be able to lie but the person that generates the image might have that capability. With programs like Photoshop, there is a lot of room for photos to lie. This is a prominent problem with how the media portrays beauty by getting rid of blemishes, slimming down waist sizes, changing jaw structures, and many more “beautifying” adjustments. Thus, I think that you are correct that a photograph does not lie but the photograph is a human made truth that has the ability to be altered to the humans digression.
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