To see is to believe

“Men are born with two eyes, but with one tongue, in order that they should see twice as much as they say.” Charles Caleb Colton

Every person is different, but as a photographer, I am more inclined to see than to hear. As a bonus, you don’t have to hear anything to appreciate the sight of a pretty woman… As a matter of fact, any sound might spoil the image.

In a 1958 movie, French director Marc Allégret put together a film titled “sois belle et tais toi” (be pretty and shut up). This provocative heading sounds a bit misogynistic but it illustrates the fact that an image is often effective than sound.

When I watch a boring movie, I often lose track of the dialogue while my eyes wander from character to character. The actors’ lines vanish and I am left with a kaleidoscope of moving snapshots. It is much more interesting than trite lines and unconvincing acting.

I also find it much easier to clearly see evil than to hear it. When you hear a hate speech, it might not make a lasting impression; but when you see an evil action (like the brutalizing of an animal) it immediately prompts a visceral angry reaction.

In WWII, General Eisenhower insisted on documenting the unimaginable horrors of the Nazi concentration camps. He wanted people to remember as long as possible the depravity and the barbarity of the Nazi criminals. He documented his finding with thousands of pictures.

Despite his presence in many photographs, Holocaust deniers persist to this day.

Images are definitely more powerful and lasting than sound.

I don’t know if you have noticed, but in this electoral period, money is flooding all media. The countless commercials that you see on TV and the political pamphlets clogging your mailboxes are the materialization of the millions of dollars spent by the candidates and their backers.

The sponsors prefer visuals to words or sound. If you like someone’s face you are more inclined to vote for him. Being photogenic undoubtedly helps a candidate, regardless of his views.

I am partial to images. It might be partly due to the fact that my hearing is getting less effective than my sight, but to me, an image will always carry more weight than a long speech.

“Hear no evil, speak no evil, and you won’t be invited to cocktail parties.” Oscar Wilde

Alain