Why do we have faith in photographs?

Question:Why do YOU have faith in photographs? This question needs to be asked on a personal level as some don't put too much thought into photographs and take what they see in the picture as a capture still life of "reality". When in truth, you don't actually know if that photo is a non-planned shot of reality, a planned shot of reality, a doctored photo or some other representation. The fact is that a person CAN alter images to meet their liking. Whether it be digital or film, you can alter images. Either in the production (before taking the picture) or in the editing room (darkroom or computer) .

I don't always have faith in photographs. It depends who the source is and what the topic is about.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Why do YOU have faith in photographs? This question needs to be asked on a personal level as some don't put too much thought into photographs and take what they see in the picture as a capture still life of "reality". When in truth, you don't actually know if that photo is a non-planned shot of reality, a planned shot of reality, a doctored photo or some other representation. The fact is that a person CAN alter images to meet their liking. Whether it be digital or film, you can alter images. Either in the production (before taking the picture) or in the editing room (darkroom or computer) .

I don't always have faith in photographs. It depends who the source is and what the topic is about.

because its good

what the heck are you talking about?

well depends on twhat it is then you need to find out what is it then you can

It use to be that photos didn't lie, but nowdays with all the editing software one has to be leary of photos making outlandish claims.

u mean like why do people believe you if you show them a photograph? well... because it's evidence. unless you edit it on the computer. but when you do that's it's usually obvious when people do that.

was that what you're talking about?

In news photographs we aren't there and reporters can graphically show us events and people.

In school picture books or old family albums a person makes more of an impact on our senses.

These days photos can be faked so one has to not believe everything they see. I saw one of President Bush dressed in a bright purple suit and hat....it was an April Fool joke.

Because they preserve the image and memories that we know our brains will eventually forget/blur as we grow old.

Huh?

A lot of people have to see things to believe it... even if it's not true.

"We" is a strong word, don't you think? Your question is vague and doesn't make much sense. And, this question is obviously of a philosophical nature, so please excuse my digression...

If you were to define the word "faith", you would get something to the effect of:

faith-[feyth]
–noun
1. confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another's ability.

2. belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.

3. belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion: the firm faith of the Pilgrims.

4. belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.: to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.

5. a system of religious belief: the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.

6. the obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a person, promise, engagement, etc.: Failure to appear would be breaking faith.

7. the observance of this obligation; fidelity to one's promise, oath, allegiance, etc.: He was the only one who proved his faith during our recent troubles.

8. Christian Theology. the trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved.

—Idiom
9. in faith, in truth; indeed: In faith, he is a fine lad.

Interesting, isn't it? The point of all of that is to show that there aren't many circumstances where you could apply the meaning of the word faith to a photograph. At least, I've never heard of a photograph being worshiped. But then again, the first meaning of the word can apply so I'll go with that for now. Having confidence or trust in a person or thing—I can feel confident or trust in a photograph because it is a representation of what it has captured. In the old days of photography, you placed a polished metallic silver plate coated with silver halide in the rear section of a set of bellows and lens, and exposed it to light. This plate was then developed forming an image that could not be reproduced, copied, or altered. This type of photograph was known as a Daguerreotype. So in theory, you could have faith, or confidence that the image you see in that photograph was indeed captured by the camera that produced it—what you see is what you get. Why do you ask? Because I do. Because I can. Who knows why...

When it comes to more modern photography, I can't really trust what I "see", can I? With digital technology, an image can be manipulated to whatever vision inspired by the person who created it. So in that sense, due to the intrinsic nature of art, I can still trust to a degree what I see in a digital image given the subjective nature of what is meant to be seen within that image.

Aside from all of that, there is no right answer to this question. It's a quandary, you could go back and forth from now until the end of time exploring its meaning. Maybe you should try asking in the Philosophy section.

because the camera doesn't lie

becoz yer kin trust em moore then yer can trust a womin enyday/