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A World Without Photos

Think about your very first-ever non-fiction book. Perhaps it was in elementary school - an informational book about frogs, probably 10 times more photographs than words. Think about how you may have felt - the awe of looking at something so real, something that felt like it was coming straight off the page. Now imagine that book without the pictures. Just a few words lie sparsely on the page. Not the same impact, right?












Think about the first time you had to assemble something - maybe a Lego set or a piece of furniture. Most manuals have a few pictures to help you figure it out. And sometimes, you may have to refer to a YouTube video to figure it out. Would you have been equally as successful without the photos and videos that guided you?

Imagine a phone without a camera roll. A TikTok without a feed. A scrapbook without photos. 

Photos and videos are parts of our lives in so many ways. Imagining a world without photos seems so dreary and devoid of the vivid memories and emotions they evoke. So when Sontang asserts that photography limits our understanding of the world, she is overlooking the way that it is ingrained in the fabric of our society. 

From a young age, we see the world through pictures because words are too hard to decipher. As we grow older, we continue to use photos to enhance our perception of the world around us. 

It is evident - a world without photos is simply unimaginable.

Comments

  1. Erin JeongApril 27, 2024 at 5:56 PM

    I really liked how you set the reader up to imagine things! It really strengthened your argument by providing evidence of it in everyday life. I also like how you mentioned that photos are now used to "enhance our perception" of the world!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousApril 28, 2024 at 8:58 AM

    Allowing the reader to imagine a TikTok or a book without the pictures was so impactful, good job!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Arya ShahApril 28, 2024 at 9:03 AM

    Ahhh this is so good!!! Its a short and sweet but extremely impactful blog. I love how you address the audience throughout your post, especially the intro is super attention grabbing.

    ReplyDelete
  4. HemnaApril 28, 2024 at 11:22 AM

    This is pure facts without photos my life would be mostly empty. At a lot of my hangouts I bring my polaroid camera with me and my friend brings her digital camera because did we really hang out if we didn't capture the various moments in an aesthetic way?

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousApril 28, 2024 at 3:15 PM

    I love your blog!! its so accurate that pictures really do make our life more memorable because even when you forget a memory its still there when you look at it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousApril 28, 2024 at 8:02 PM

    I love the different point-of-views you used! Your intro had a very nice hook that made me want to read more. It was also so cool to see how you incorporated Susan Sontag’s piece into this. Good job!

    ReplyDelete
  7. SLZApril 28, 2024 at 8:27 PM

    You know, photos make me less dumb. And they're more fun to look at. But did you know that learning styles aren't scientifically proven. Which is interesting. So maybe pictures don't matter while learning... do your research!

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousApril 29, 2024 at 4:24 AM

    I really like the allusion to the picture book in the beginning. I really liked how you got us to imagine what you were saying.

    ReplyDelete

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