Saturation of Images
August 2nd, 2019
“A picture is worth a thousand words.” This old adage came about when the Syracuse Advertising Men’s Club held a journalism conference. Author Arthur Brisbane was attributed with the quote during a speech in which he said a picture would connect more with an audience than a large amount of text. A relatively simple concept has many practical uses, especially in today’s world.
Being a photographer, I understand the importance of images. I know that a video or an image of an event brings the audience into the reality of the situation. From social media to TV, we consume a massive amount of images every day, and each image affects us in a different way. Social media can make us feel inadequate, whereas the news can make the world seem dark and dangerous. The adverse effects of these images are not lost on science. According to a recent study, the constant bombardment of negative news can increase stress, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms.
The outcome of the study is no surprise. We live in a dangerous world. We live in a menacing and horrifying world where things go upside down daily. And, unfortunately, the news needs to be negative. If we, as a society, ignored the reality of our situation, then we would be far worse off than before.
However, not all of the media we consume needs to be negative. Images tell a story. They can say a narrative that people can relate to regardless of language, economic status, or lifestyle. For instance, an image of Niagara Falls can remind someone of a family trip to the site. I connect to the piece with this warm, familiar feeling that transports me to my trip. The boisterous crashing of water against the bottom, the clicks of cameras from tourists, and kids' feet as they run around on the stone sidewalk. I feel peaceful.
Visual cues clarify ideas that another medium can confuse. Media, whether it be images, movies, or otherwise, can create straightforward and comprehensible meaning in abstract writing. Media imbues us with strong feelings and emotions. This could happen because our brain processes visuals 6000 times faster than text. Whenever we encounter an image, our brain gains a clear understanding and moves on quickly. It is an evolutionary trait that was beneficial when we were hunter-gatherers who had to make quick decisions to save our lives.
But we don’t live in a world where we need to digest images that fast. We live in a fast-paced world that needs to learn to slow down. A photography teacher of mine challenged me to spend 15 minutes a day staring at one image or thing. It didn’t matter what it was or where it was, it just needed to be something I didn’t mind spending time with. She told me that if I had enough patience to digest every aspect of that image or thing, I would better understand how to communicate my story through my pictures.
I underestimated the difficulty of the challenge because I couldn’t focus. When I began this challenge, my attention span was near zero, and it took a big chunk of time to build up enough patience to even get close to 15 minutes. The first time I focused on an image for 15 minutes, I lost track of time because I was transported to another place.
I was looking at a picture of a beach when I was brought back to one of my favorite places. The sun shone through some scattered clouds, and people milled around as I sat on a bench on the Hermosa Beach Pier. I stared at the waves crashing onto the yellow sand. The sound put me in a trance-like state in which I enjoyed the moment to the fullest. I enjoyed a few minutes of nothing.
While doing this, you can enter a state of tranquility in which your mind is entirely devoid of worry, anxiety, and any other negative feelings. After about 30 minutes, I returned to reality, feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of my day.
We live in a society saturated with images, good and bad. Some of our most complex emotions can be expressed more clearly visually than written, which makes images good. Unfortunately, the number of images in our society makes those important images lose their value. More often than not, we encounter images of our friends' night out rather than images we really connect with.
Images can help us relax, calm down, and relieve stress. Media has become very entrenched in our everyday lives, so it would behoove us all to take a beat and let ourselves de-stress by focusing on something that brings us joy. As Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around, you could miss it.”
Always Busy,
Sam
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