Never Underestimate a Photo
Posted on Saturday 18 February 2017
Never Underestimate a Photo
By Apolinario Villalobos
A photo should never be underestimated.
Such printed record could send a person to jail, cause a breakup of once a
strong relationship, destroy a person’s life, or worse, cause someone’s death.
Psychologists use photos to test the soundness of their patients’ mind. Due to the varying impression on particular
images that people make, some view a certain photo with malice while others are
nonchalant about what they perceive.
In the Philippines today, due to the
scandals that are rocking the government system and its officials, even a lone
photograph may be considered very important evidence. This is what’s meant by
the line in a song that says, “…a picture could paint a thousand words”….words
that are needed to establish a case or develop a story of a committed crime.
In this regard, the Vice-President Lenny
Robredo posing with the Catholic bishops in a photo could mean a lot because
the latter are detractors of President Duterte, while the former is viewed as
being used as a tool by the opposition, as well as, the bishops themselves.
Senator de Lima shaking hands with the purported drug lords can create so many
stories about her link with them. And, President Duterte being kissed on a
check by a beautiful admirer could send media people to their laptop and
desktop computer to type a scoop.
The “photographic” memory of our ancestors
enabled them to sketch animals and their daily activities on cave walls and
ceilings that helped us understand our past. Though how crudely executed these
records may be, without them, we may never have had a glimpse of what
transpired in the past.
Photographs can also hide and reveal true
events and situations, as well as, characters of people. To make any situation
convincing before they are photographed, it is enhanced with props. On the
other hand, happiness can be temporarily etched on a face – all for the sake of
visual recordings that have distinct objectives. While some are used for
deception, others have noble intent….the so-called visual “white lie”. And,
this is how the “motion picture” or movie was conceived.
Today’s world of high technology is being
made alive or perked up by photos. People practically want to record what they
do, a manifestation of their ego which is the center of the “self”. That is
why, inventors are not stopping from conceiving gadgets that would incorporate
a photographic lens, such that wireless phones did not end as just an audio
gadget, but later developed further to have a camera. This resulted to some watches having camera,
as well as, pens, buttons and many others.
Finally, that is how the “inventor” of the
facebook raked in billions of dollars….open a site that would accommodate
photos of events and frames of quotes. So, next time you open your facebook and
post a photo on its wall, remember that you are making someone richer.
And, the next time you open your old albums
of photos, cherish those faded records of the past. By the way, even old photos
of Nora Aunor could command today a price of not less than 200pesos!
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