Can Photographs Change The World?

A picture is worth a thousand words. This cliche is often spoken but it's true meaning often times goes undiscussed. A photograph can often explain and describe a story or event better then a written article could. From a photograph you get important pieces of the story the setting, the time, the people involved, and you can also capture the emotions of the story from within the photograph.

The question is often asked "Can a photograph change the world?". My answer would be yes. I'll use an example, a very famous photograph and one that I have always liked as many do. The below photograph is V-J Day in times square, one of the worlds most famous photographs of all time and one that truly changed the world. It was taken in 1945 at the conclusion of World War II. It shows the absolute joy and relief people experienced at the conclusion of the war and how it felt to be with their loved ones once again. Still to this day it is an image of love, joy, and hope.

So yes I do believe a photograph can change the world, it can change the way people think and what they do. It can give people hope, it can bring them joy. Those are things that change the world.

Photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt

Image Source:http://www.photographyschoolsonline.net/blog/2010/30-photos-that-changed-the-world/