Susan Sontag: In Plato's Cave

Out of all of Susan Sontag’s claims, the one that struck me most was that “photographing is essentially an act of non-intervention.” Some of the most memorable photographs ever taken – war images, dying children, and slaughter – required the photographer to make a choice between taking the shot and intervening. Although often nothing can be done to help in such situations, it does make it seem callous of photographers to capture these moments. On the other hand, it’s because of them that we have evidence of these events.

Sontag later mentions that too much exposure to graphic images can eventually make them seem less real. In a way, looking through the camera, trying to get the perfect shot can also make the photographer “forget” that they’re looking at reality. On vacations where I wasn’t spending time taking pictures, I remember the experience more. When I have the camera, I spend time toggling with the camera trying to get the perfect shot. It can make you forget that you’re working with a piece of reality, and not just a work of art.