We take photos to capture a particular moment to look back on. However, it is also a way to document history to educate future generations. Liberal Arts professor Dr. Kathryn Medill summed it up perfectly: Photography fosters connection with the past through imagery, not just through events, but the emotions and experiences of people who lived through them.
Before the first camera was invented in 1816, people documented life through written accounts or artistic representations, such as drawings and paintings. As Dr. Medill noted, photography “offered a seemingly objective and immediate way to capture reality” through visual records of events as they happened.
“This ability to document the world visually made photography an invaluable tool for historians, journalists, and social scientists,” she wrote.
Like all photographs, historical photos have an emotional impact on those who see them. In moments of celebration or despair, these images become powerful enough to connect profoundly with people.
As an example, Dr. Medill used the flag-raising photo at Iwo Jima, an image that signified a pivotal moment in World War II.
“(Such) iconic images not only capture moments of victory but also resonate with the emotions and values of a society, illustrating the courage and resilience of individuals,” she explained.
But what exactly draws attention to these iconic snapshots? According to photographer Anthony Morganti, it all comes down to the wiring in our brains. In an article for Medium, he mentioned the Gestalt Principles, a set of rules that explain how the human eye organizes visual elements.
Some of the key principles include proximity (grouping objects close to each other), similarity (relating images that are similar in shape, color, or size), continuity (the natural preference to see continuous flows of visual elements), closure (mentally filling gaps to create the perception of a whole object), and figure/ground (separating an object from its background).
“A well-structured image gently guides the viewer’s eye — our brains appreciate that and reward us with a satisfying ‘aha’ feeling when a photo is easy to absorb,” Morganti wrote, adding that we naturally pay extra attention to parts of an image bearing strong contrasts. It could be regions where light and color change abruptly.
