The Unequal Trinity: The Photographer, The Audience, and The Woman

Abstract

Photography is commonly seen as the capturing of a moment in time as it occurs, but to truly understand the moment from all parts is to understand the relationship between the photographer, the audience, and the subject as the photograph is being taken. As novelist and art critic John Berger explains in his piece, Understanding A Photograph, “I have said that a photograph bears witness to a human choice being exercised. This choice is not between photographing X and Y, but between photographing X moment at Y moment.” (3) The “moment” he mentions is the dynamic interaction between the photographer and the subject, and what comes from that is the interpretation of the moment by the audience. As monotonous and simple as this process may seem, what is little considered is the intentions behind each part of the photographic trifecta.While the photographer may intend to show a scene in time, the audience might intend to consume the photograph with bias or expectation, all the while the subject may feel either empowered or exploited. With a focus on the subject specifically being a woman, how does the interaction between each part change or differ between the production, consumption, and interpretation of the photograph? Why is it that in the previous quote by Sylvia Plath from her book The Bell Jar, the audience and the photographer answer so confidently about what the subject wants? Through an in depth analysis of the relationship between the photographer, the audience, and the subject as a woman, this essay is meant to propose that the importance of understanding photography lies within the intention of the photographer, the expectation of the audience, and the emotional connection with the female subject.