Is Photography Fake?

Last updated: Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

I am sad. All the beautiful photos that make me love photography are fake. The photographer staged them all. Is photography fake?

Reply by Daniel Nahabedian on January 21, 2009 at 7:52pm

Well, I wouldn’t call it “fake”.

I myself have a few photoprojects concerning homeless people and poverty. I would not go shoot true homeless people or pay them to act the way I want them to for my shoot. I’d ask for my friends to help me do the scene.

It’s all about telling a story. I want to strike people with a story, create an emotion. It’s the result in their mind that’s important.

If I wanted to shoot true homeless people, it would be photojournalism and not conceptual photography anymore. It’s all about the message you try to convey