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And we live in such a totally visual culture now that it's probably more important to perceive what propagandists are doing in the visual arena - in the visual media, and also with pics and images generally. I mean sure there are the obvious recent examples of outright propaganda - the kid lying face down in the beach sand, ISIS and their victims in orange jump-suits, all that sort of thing - but what is altogether more subtle and much more damaging, is the sheer 'photographic/stylistic illiteracy' of modern photographers.
Photographic picture composition is a complex area but traditionally it had six main 'rules:' simplicity, symmetrical balance, asymmetrical balance, radial balance, rule of thirds, and 'framing.' But today, a simple Google search for some image or other will reveal a long litany of pics that are cluttered, 'un-composed,' and dissonant.
For me it is possible to consider photographic image composition nowadays as part of the overall field of industrial design...
...Beautifully composed pic, in my opinion |
Now I want to discuss more deeply why I believe deliberately poor shot composition is a political and sociological propaganda tactic that is pathological.
But for just right now, let me just post a couple of decently-composed modern photographs which show that subtle ways to impart information are intrinsic to the art of modern photography, especially as it is used in on-line endeavors.