The World through a Lens

By Maddi Gomez-Iradi

In earlier years, a photograph that captured an environment was considered as valid as observing a place in situ. The contents of the photographs were truthful as they had not been manipulated and hence could be used as reference… or were they? Tampering of photographs dates back almost as far as the invention of photography.

The first step to manipulation will already be taking place as we prepare to take a shot; the world through the lens of the camera will certainly be biased, since the photographer will only capture what she/he wants others to see. A sequence of photos from a place will reveal the intent of the photographer and how she/he sees or wants others to see the world.

Deception and manipulation is in our nature. Pretending to be something we are not or portraying a reality that does not exist is not a new concept. We each create our own reality based on what we want to or do believe.

Over recent years, photographic manipulation has caused even the simplest photographs to be suspected of having been altered. It is often very difficult to realise if the photograph you are looking at is in fact a photorealistic render or if it is just your own paranoia. The more you look at something, the odder/stranger it becomes; just like when you repeat a word over and over to the point that it loses its meaning after a while. We might have reached a point where it is near impossible to distinguish between real and creation, especially since an illusory picture will have been based off reality.

Photographs of buildings that defy all logic may lead one to think that they cannot possibly exist in reality. If we are given two images like the ones above, and asked which one is real and which one is not, considering we are not familiar with either of the buildings, our minds will rephrase the question and think of it in terms of which of the two is the least plausible.

Having become acclimatised to viewing the world a certain way, we have subconsciously established values that are hard to override. We are used to looking through a pre-established lens based on our personal experience, and hence, the most logical answer will be the one that blends into our world. It is easier to believe in a ‘comfortable’ reality instead of processing everything we see though a sceptical lens. Preconceptions lead us to create a distorted and easier to accept truth, which is why, when we come across an answer that we do not expect, we start to question previously made assumptions. It is very easy to get caught up in questioning everything around us and lose sense of what is real and what is not. It is a matter of time before we end up going down the rabbit hole. We are all the Alice of our own wonderland.