What Makes a Photograph Influential? | Kira Pollack | TEDxNashville

Summary

The speaker, a photography director at Time magazine, explores the enduring influence of photography despite an overwhelming number of images. They recount their team's three-year project to identify the 100 most influential photographs in history, emphasizing the power of a single image to impact society, provoke change, and leave a lasting impression. The talk highlights iconic images such as James Nachtwey's famine photo, which spurred a massive relief effort, and the viral photo of Alan Kurdi, symbolizing the Syrian refugee crisis. It also discusses how technology and platforms have evolved to democratize photography, making it more influential than ever.

Takeaways

• 📸 The sheer volume of photographs taken in a single year now surpasses the total from the entire history of photography, raising questions about the impact and influence of individual images.
• 🔍 A three-year project by Time magazine aimed to identify the 100 most influential photographs in history, highlighting the power of still images to imprint on our collective memory.
• 🌟 Photography has the unique ability to capture a moment in time, distilling complex scenes into a single, powerful frame that can sway public opinion and policy.
• 🏆 A photograph by James Nachtwey of the 1992 famine in Somalia led to a massive relief effort, demonstrating the tangible impact a single image can have on saving lives.
• 🏞️ Historical images, such as those by Carleton Watkins of Yosemite, have served as evidence to protect natural wonders, influencing legislation and conservation efforts.
• 📱 The advent of digital and mobile photography, exemplified by Philippe Kahn's first cell phone image, revolutionized how we communicate and share visual content.
• 🌐 The speed at which images are now disseminated, especially through social media, has accelerated the news cycle and the public's engagement with current events.
• 😢 The haunting image of Alan Kurdi, a young Syrian refugee, became a symbol of the refugee crisis and prompted a brief but significant policy shift in Europe.
• 📰 The platform where a photograph is displayed greatly affects its influence, with magazine covers, newspaper front pages, and now social media feeds acting as powerful amplifiers.
• 📈 The evolution of photography has been marked by technological advancements, from film to digital, and the speed at which images are captured and shared has collapsed the time between creation and consumption.
• 🔮 The future of influential photography remains uncertain but exciting, with new platforms and technologies poised to shape how we experience and are impacted by visual storytelling.

Q & A

How many pictures are estimated to be made in a year compared to the entire history of photography?

In the year mentioned in the transcript, over a trillion pictures would be made, which is more than the entire history of photography combined.

What was the impact of James Nachtwey's photograph of a woman in a wheelbarrow during the Somali famine?

The photograph led to the largest relief effort since World War II, saving 1.5 million lives, as it was published impactfully in The New York Times Magazine.

How did Carleton Watkins' photographs contribute to the establishment of the National Park System?

Watkins' photographs of Yosemite Valley were shown to Washington power brokers as evidence of its existence, leading to Abraham Lincoln signing the Yosemite Grant Act, which paved the way for the National Park System.

What was the significance of Philippe Kahn's photograph of his daughter in the context of photography's evolution?

Kahn's photograph, taken with a digital camera and flip-top phone, was the first instance of a cell phone image being sent out, which forever changed the way we communicate through images.

Why did the photograph of Alan Kurdi become an influential symbol of the Syrian refugee crisis?

The photograph of Alan Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian refugee who drowned, was widely shared and became difficult to look away from, resonating with the public and leading to a brief opening of European borders for over a million refugees.

How did the Ellen DeGeneres Oscar selfie impact the advertising industry?

The selfie was retweeted more than any other picture in history, providing a major, organic advertising coup for Samsung, as the phone used to take the picture was prominently displayed.

What role did Abraham Zapruder's film of President John Kennedy's assassination play in the public's perception of the event?

Zapruder's film documented the assassination in its entirety and was published in Life magazine, becoming the first time the public saw the event unfold, significantly impacting their understanding of it.

How did the Hindenburg disaster photograph achieve influence twice?

The photograph was influential at the time of the disaster in the 1930s, ending the idea of airship travel. Later, it was used on Led Zeppelin's album cover, making it influential again through pop culture.

What ethical considerations did the Time magazine team face when deciding to publish a graphic image on its cover?

The team considered the potential impact on a young audience and the subject's well-being, as the subject might not understand the global reach and implications of being on the cover.

How has the speed of photography and its dissemination changed over the past 20 years?

The speed has evolved dramatically, from photographers using film and physically delivering it for development to digital photographers instantly uploading images to social media, collapsing the time between taking and viewing a picture.