Mirrored Image Of Ideology

Photography now is so deeply involved in modern life, but we still have not fully understood or discussed the power relationship hiding behind it. Being the core media of this information era, photography is essencial in the message carrying and transporting on the worldwide network. Hence how to understand and properly interpret photography is a key subject in modern society.On the basis of previous points, this dissertation follows the timeline of the development of photography to discuss four aspects from the angle of power relationship:the emergence of ideology and photography, the phenomenon of ideology during the development of photography media, classical photography theories as well as power of discourse in a modern micro power network. With the discussion this dissertation explores a view of photography as power relationship.The first chapter discusses the emergence of ideology and photography. Three questions are discussed including the arising of ideology and photography, the mirror reflection of photography, and the commercialization of photography.The second chapter discusses the phenomenon of ideology during the development of photography media. Three aspects are explored including the power relationship formed by the combinations of ideology and battlefield photography, ideology and news photography, and the change of ideology when photography enters the daily life of the mass.The third chapter analyses the classical photography theories of Walter Benjamin, Roland Barthes and Susan Sontage.The fourth chapter explores the strggle for the power of discourse on a micro power network, and focuses on the development of micro power relationship network as media and the game of "truth" in the interpretation of photography.With the analysis above, this dissertation expects to explore a new way of understanding photography, which means that ideology is implanted in all the development phases of photograohy. The interpretation of photography must put power relationship into consideration.