THE IMPACT ON HISTORY & SOCIETY ...

Cameras, arguably, has been the most important invention since the printing press in 1434 [Britannica, 2022], capturing evidence of almost every aspect of history and defining, altering and impacting the way we remember things Without photography, key information regarding historical events, people, cultures and environments would have been lost and forgotten forever. Photographs have reinforced aspects of the past with visual evidence, providing us with more reliability than illustrations did [LightStalking, 2020] Unlike illustrations, photographs don't require as much deciphering making them more accessible and relatable to the viewer.

Despite being such a beneficial practice, photography has its downfalls. Even though it is much more reliable and accurate than illustrations, photos have the ability to be manipulated to draw attention to specific elements or portray a completely different story. This has been a trick of the trade for many years with one of the first recorded instances of photo manipulation being in 1860 when a photograph of John Calhoun was manipulated to have his body with Abraham Lincoln's face, to make Lincoln appear less ‘ugly’ to the public Joseph Stalin was also a primary user of photo retouching for propaganda purposes [Wikipedia, 2022]. Photo manipulation is still prevalent in today's society. Thanks to technology, the process of editing a photo is much easier and more accessible, which questions the reliability and accuracy of the photographs being published today

Photography has been a predominant factor in the reduction of individuals' privacy, with the rise of the cult of celebrity and the excessive use of social media The paparazzi have been detrimental to photography as an art form and contributed to diminishing levels of privacy. A key example of this is the death of Princess Diana. The constant pressure of the paparazzi to get the latest celebrity photos ultimately lead to her death.

Photography's impact on modern history has been both positive and negative. Despite the magnitude of its negatives, it is important to recognise the crucial and beneficial role that photography has played in our history. It has increased the awareness of many significant events and issues on a global scale and created a push for change Photography has enabled humankind to reflect upon its actions and adopt new approaches to avoid replicating mistakes from our past. It also documents the positive progress we have made as a global society and how, in some instances, we have changed for the better.