Response to Wells, Tourism, fashion and "the Other"

     When thinking about photography and how influential it is in today's world, most people would like to believe that everything they are shown is real. This is especially true when photographs are used as a source of input into where someone may go for vacation. Tourism, fashion and "the Other" provided a well thought out description for both the traveler and the commercial photographer. When thinking about going somewhere for vacation most people would like to see photos for their place of interest including beautiful scenery, happy members of the community, and a glimpse at "paradise". And as the commercial photographer who has been hired to photograph this area, it is their job to make it appear this way. It was stated in this article that "In many tourist advertisements, the image of work is so glamorized that we cannot perceive the reality." (Wells, p. 242) This statement tells the truth about the lies that are shown in some commercial photography. People will go to great lengths to stage and photograph a fake environment,which in most cases is just to make money. The businessmen know that people will believe what they see, which will give the tourists a disadvantage that they won't know until they actually arrive and explore the area of "paradise". 

     Tourism is a large business for a lot of third world countries, so the more strangers that they can reel in the better. There are a lot of attractions set up to engage the tourists in activities where they will spend money, such as being able to pose with citizens of the country who are seen wearing elaborate garb. Tourists would recognize scenes such as this from media that other people have posted somewhere on the internet and are now interested in doing it themselves. Certain communities have used this to create a new and altered culture, based on using their heritage not as a way of life, but as a way of making money. They have seen that people would be willing to pay for the "sense" that they're in a real society where life is different, but because of photography and media in general, they are now getting the expected scene, not the actual culture. Because of the fact that photography is so "real", there are a lot of people and businesses who have taken advantage of this. Tourism has been hugely affected by the technology increase with photography and media, and they are now taking in the benefits. I don't believe that the original intention of the camera was to create false truths, but for some industries it's the only purpose that they can see it being used for.

-Cody Oliver