Snyder and Allen discuss intensively photographic vision. There comments have made me rethink my own practice, I had always thought that with a camera it is possible to recreate exactly what we see, (although some lenses intestinally distort). Although with the detailed explanation I realise now how it is simply not possible.
‘A photograph shows us “what we
would have seen” at a certain moment in time, from a certain vantage
point if we kept our head immobile and closed one eye and if we saw with
the equivalent of a 150-mm or 24-mm lens and if we saw things in
Agfacolor or in Tri-X developed in D-76 and printed on Kodabromide
#3 paper’ – Snyder and Allen
With more personal thoughts on theirstatement and further research I can see how true this statement is and I agree with theirposition on photographic vision. There thoughts add more depth to my own opinions and understanding on the veracity of a photograph. I am still of the position that there is an underlying undeniable relationship between a photograph and its subject matter one you cannot get away from and however distorted an underlying photographic truth.
In relation to the trace of the photograph the iconic, the indexical, and symbolic, are essential to our viewing reading and understanding of photographs all that is contained within the borders of a photographic image, links to one of the above descriptions, in its pure visual sense, even without considering any further meaning.
Critical Research Journal 