A question of point of view.

Is photography an objective, neutral and impartial medium? In answer to this question, many people answer NO, thinking of the possibilities for altering the image provided by computers, in particular Photoshop. More recently, it has been discovered that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is capable of fabricating images from scratch.

But well before this stage of computer retouching, there is the framing chosen by the photographer at the moment of shooting, the choice he makes to include or exclude this or that element in his image. It's quite clear that a photo of a little girl playing on a patch of lawn will not have the same impact depending on whether or not a chicken is included in the image. an overflowing rubbish bin.

Many other technical choices can also influence the mood of the photo: depth of field, which can blur the entire background; the exposure time, which can "materialise" a movement or, on the contrary, freeze it; etc.

In addition to these technical considerations, there is the time of day chosen for the photo, if it's a landscape, the season will also be important, the photographer's decision to remain discreet or to make his presence known, and many other things that will all play a part in the final image.

We had fun collecting pairs of photos showing the same subject but from different points of view (wider or narrower framing, position of the photographer in relation to the subject, etc.). These examples speak for themselves.

Close-up or wide shot ?

Congress of the Union pour un mouvement populaire (France) in 2014.
These two photos were published on Twitter a few minutes apart. The one on the left was posted by Nadine Morano, then UMP national secretary). It shows a dense and enthusiastic audience (applause). The one on the right was posted by Alain Auffray (journalist at Libération). On the contrary, it shows many empty seats, a rather sparse audience and people looking rather bored. The difference between these two photos is that they are framed differently and a few minutes apart.

Choice of point of view.

Brandenburg Gate (Berlin).
The same monument, photographed from two different locations.

Framing tips.

The slope on the left is impressive. The one on the right is much less so. In the absence of scenery (tree, fence) it is impossible to say which of these two images is closer to reality.

Insulating a detail.

Advertisement for the newspaper "Le Monde"
In these three images, the eye is first drawn to the coloured part, which shows a scene that is generally pleasant: a flower, a player exerting himself, a child at play. The rest of the image, in monochrome, shows what the photographer chose not to show.

The context of an image.

The context of an image
As we move further and further away from the subject, and therefore more and more into the context, we give this image very different meanings.

Media manipulations.

Nicolas Sarkosy riding alone in the middle of a herd.

April 2007 - Sarkosy seems to be alone in the wilderness.

A photo that should probably never have been published.

Not so alone: photographers and videographers are not far behind.

Nicolas Sarkosy, during the 2007 french presidential campaign
In April 2007, in the middle of the French presidential campaign, Nicolas Sarkosy showed himself on horseback, obviously in the Camargue. Photos were published and a video was even shot. The framing suggested that Sarkosy was alone, "in touch with nature". Wider shots showed that this was not the case.

It's all a bit staged, but that's to be expected: photos don't take themselves, and videos take quite a few people to shoot. You also need vehicles to transport the equipment in the middle of nowhere.