National Geographic Photography - Dissertation Example

First and and of or 04 January 2006 National Geographic Photography: Its Roles and Effects on Society Founded in 1888, the National Geographic Society, publishers of National Geographic Magazine, developed its mission, which is "for the increase and diffusion of geographic Knowledge." (“Penn Museum Presents in Focus 2005). More than a century later, they are still fulfilling this mission of bridging the differences in our world, drawing our large world a little closer, and reminding us that all humans have the same basic needs no matter where we live. Through photographs that capture the very essence of human beings, they have managed to achieve their goals and have an effect on society in an amazing way. “The images in the exhibition also speak to the magazines shifting role in society during a century of war, peace, and rapid technological and cultural change. Images from the 1930s and 40s, for example, reveal the magazines efforts to divert attention away from the hardships of domestic life during the Great Depression and World War II.” (Penn Museum Presents in Focus 2005). Explorers Hall is the name of The National Geographic Society Headquarters. The building takes up an entire block and yet it can hardly contain the items, photos, and all that makes up the Last Name 2 National Geographic Magazine and what it represents and has accomplishes. The National Geographic Society has ventured from photography and publication to education, multimedia, philanthropy, and so much more. Cohen states it best as he describes the purpose and goal that Explorers Hall tries to accomplish in honor of National Geographic Magazine and National Geographic Society: Explorer’s Hall is meant to be romantic, breathtaking, on the brink of the unknown. On the wall, as part of the “Antarctica” exhibit, is a picture of two men staring off into a dimming sunset, surrounded by nothing but white mountains of ice. Below the picture is a quote: “Here is a door ajar through which one may escape a little way and for a short time out of our little world, from the noise and chaos of civilization into the silence and harmony of the cosmos, and for a moment be a part of it.” The romance is real. It is meant to awaken a generation of under-educated American students to the wonders of science and geography, and the many millions of American suburbanites to the adventures they’ve never taken. But behind the curtain is a vast business enterprise—part nonprofit society, part for-profit business venture, with annual revenues of more than $500 million. In short, the National Geographic Society is no stranger to the noise and chaos of Last Name 3 civilization. In the last few years it has disputed with its photographers over intellectual property rights, opened up a professional development office to go after corporate donors, and set up a for-profit subsidiary—National Geographic Ventures—which has partnered with NBC and Fox Entertainment to do battle with the Discovery Channel in the cable television market. The Society has messed up, capitalized, and promoted itself like any complex organization. And with a few bumps, bruises, and compromises along the way, the results remain impressive. Photographs from the magazine that celebrates over a more than 113-year birthday reveals life in every culture as it truly is. Whether it be photography of fine dining in Paris or the fear in a the arresting dark eyes of an Islamic soldier, the photos takes viewers to that very place and time. The changes that the magazine, its photographs, and its publishers have made through globalization has helped society by bringing many diverse cultures with thousands of different voices to be represented and “become part of the overall repertoire of humanity for coping with challenges confronting us in the future.” (Parsell 2002). The photographs of National Geographic has not only informed, entertained, and Last Name 4 influenced our grandparents but also the kids of today. It has taught and “raised” many generations. The photographs and articles capture an audience of any age and any geographic location. That famous yellow magazine, for what it’s usually remembered as, can proudly claim that the title of holding everyone’s attention and providing not only entertainment but education and knowledge, along with a pull string of the heart and a stirring of feelings. They say that pictures speak a thousand words and this is an understatement for the magazine that has expanded into just about every single culture and every part of society. Donohue’s statements of the magazine and its photography that has changed as society has changed and has turned to globalization to accomplish its mission of drawing the world together. Donohue also lists details that encourage photography and content that has spread itself into all parts of society and modernization and has become a heritage brand: NGS is more than a magazine, said Donahoe. It publishes four other magazines, owns international and U.S. cable channels, publishes books, creates films and videos, funds research and exploration, produces maps, atlases and globes, operates a Web site and online store, offers leisure travel expositions, publishes materials for schools, provides lectures and Last Name 5 exhibits and offers licensed products, including a line of furniture. “Who would have thought 10 years ago we’d be making furniture,” Donahoe admitted. (Quoted in Rabasca 2004) In 2002, NGS did its first-ever brand study because it was about to launch several new TV channels and it wanted to understand how the Society was perceived, said Karen Rice Gardiner, NGS director of creative services. “We felt we needed a coherent brand strategy,” she said. The study found that NGS has universal brand awareness in its category and that 74 percent of its category consumers recognize its yellow-border logo, said Gardiner. NGS shares many of the same core strengths as newspapers, including credibility, trust and objectivity, said Gardiner. Other NGS core strengths are its photographic/cinematography legacy and highest quality products. Like newspapers, NGS is a heritage brand, meaning it is well-known, trusted and has been around for generations. While there are benefits to being a heritage brand — your product is trusted, has name recognition Last Name 6 and well-established relationships, Gardiner says — there also are drawbacks. “You can be viewed as stogy, old and irrelevant,” she said. “The key for a heritage brand is to be innovative,” said Gardiner. Innovation is the cure for an image that’s perceived as “your father’s Oldsmobile,” she said. One of the changes NGS made to update its image was to use a sans-serif font with the Society’s famous yellow-border logo. “No one notices the difference, but it’s definitely more contemporary,” said Gardiner. To help manage its brand, NGS established a brand/design steering committee with two rotating co-chairs and representatives from each of its divisions. The Society also created a brand management Web site for internal use, instead of a printed style guide, that provides identity guidelines, a brand page that explains core values, advice on how to use its graphics and logos as well as the use of color and typography. The site includes 70 images that are uniquely National Geographic’s that are available for NSG advertising and communications. Last Name 7 “A publisher needs brand management because the marketplace is competitive and you can’t survive without a clear, consistent perception,” Gardiner said. “A clear strategy for your brand will help you make the choices to strengthen your brand. If you’re going to extend your magazine or your newspaper, you need a well-thought out plan that’s going to make sense to your customers.” The magazine’s photography, content, and other endeavours has affected modern culture not only in developed countries but also in countries considered to be indigenous cultures. This has resulted in more benefits and gains than being a disadvantage as it has made more of a positive impact on the world. Photos of vanishing cultures help to revive the history and traditions that are centuries old. Chamberlain speaks of vanishing cultures and National Geographic’s goals of reviving cultres and languages that may never be head of again: “Buckling beneath the growing global culture, indigenous people (groups rooted to a particular place by history, legend, and language) are fast becoming endangered people. With each group that is uprooted or assimilated, a culture vanishes.Our best yardstick of Last Name 8 cultural diversity is language, and the measurements are coming up short. Linguists estimate that every two weeks a language dies, taking with it unique ways of thinking, communicating, and living— and generations of irreplaceable knowledge. These photos help us understand our roots and our neighbors, whether they live around the block or around the four corners of the world. This helps us to open our minds, to appreciate, and perhaps understand peoples of differing cultures a little more. This also helps us understand our the local society in which we live and view it in a different light. Bringing fresh to what may be mundane, or taken for granted on a daily basis, helps improves us as individuals, which, in turn, improves the world. The positives of globalization can be found in the following statements quote by Zwingle (1999), “A group of American tourists arrived in Italy not long ago. “Amazing!” one said to their tour guide, a friend of mine: “You have pizza here too.” A group of Japanese Boy Scouts landed in Chicago. “Amazing!” they told their troop leader. “They have McDonald’s here too.” Culture from one geographic to the next varies greatly. For instance, certain foods may be gourmet and delicious in one area and yet in another, it may be detestable Last Name 9 and the locals may consider it taboo to even see a certain item as “food”. Globalization has brought our cultures closer as what once was unheard of is now a little, or a lot more acceptable. We are seeing more and more fast food restaurants in areas that are not typically your fast-food restaurant society. Even developing countries may have a Burger King with a back drop of a farmer using cattle to plow his field. In more modern cities, you will find ethnic restaurants serving foods from exotic places, foods that were once shunned. National Geographic has helped to create and to bridge this gap. National Geographic photography can, however, have its disadvantages as the media has such a strong effect on how we think and what we do. Photographers tend to have a goal, a target, and something that they want to reveal. A picture cannot always do justice and cannot capture the very essence of what is truly going on, how one is really feeling inside, and cannot make up for the real experience of actually being there. Although there are many variances in angles, zooms, lighting, creativity, there is only so much that photography can do to reveal the very essence of the subject being shot. Another disadvantage can be that people of different cultures and societies Last Name 10 stereotyping another by the pictures they view and the stories they read. They can assume, for instance, that all Americans eat only fast food and desire material goods. Or readers can assume that it is unsafe to go to Cuba. Another downfall may be that societies try hard to imitate what they see and read, forcing their own culture and society to make extreme changes that they are not ready for or that are not acceptable by their residents. For instance, some children may want to develop the Western ways of dress, fads, fashion, attitude, etc. and parents cannot afford this way of life and/or do not accept it. Change, whether good or bad, can be hard to deal with and accept. National Geographic has never ceased its expansion of learning as it has moved into the classroom. It has never ceased to meet the needs and wants of a growing society. Even the fairy tales that our grandparents grew up reading and we also enjoyed, are still being shared to our children and children around the world. Reading a fairy tale that has been translated by the magazine reveals examples of culture. Below you will find an excerpt by National Geographic (1999) based on a 1914 translation of Grimms Fairy Tales, “Bremen Town-Musicians. As you read, pay attention to examples of culture such Last Name 11 as clothing, actions, superstitions, etc.: "Ah," replied the hound, "as I am old, and daily grow weaker, and no longer can hunt, my master wanted to kill me, so I took to flight; but now how am I to earn my bread?" "I tell you what," said the donkey, "I am going to Bremen, and shall be town-musician there; go with me and engage yourself also as a musician. I will play the lute, and you shall beat the kettledrum." The hound agreed, and on they went. Before long they came to a cat, sitting on the path, with a face like three rainy days! "Now then, old shaver, what has gone askew with you?" asked the donkey. "Who can be merry when his neck is in danger?" answered the cat. "Because I am now getting old, and my teeth are worn to stumps, and I prefer to sit by the fire and spin, rather than hunt about after mice, my mistress wanted to drown me, so I ran away. But now good advice is scarce. Where am I to go?" "Go with us to Bremen. You understand night-music, so you can be a town-musician." The cat thought well of it, and went with them. Then the three fugitives Last Name 12 came to a farm-yard, where the cock was sitting on the gate, crowing with all his might. "Your crow goes through one," said the donkey. "What is the matter?" "I have been foretelling fine weather, because it is the day on which Our Lady washes the Christ-childs little shirts, and wants to dry them," said the cock; "but guests are coming for Sunday, so the housewife has no pity, and has told the cook that she intends to eat me in the soup to-morrow, and this evening I am to have my head cut off. Now I am crowing at full pitch while I can." "Ah, but red-comb," said the donkey, "you had better come away with us. We are going to Bremen; you can find something better than death everywhere: you have a good voice, and if we make music together it must have some quality!" The cock agreed to this plan, and all four went on together. They could not, however, reach the city of Bremen in one day, and in the evening they came to a forest where they meant to pass the night. The donkey and the hound laid themselves down under a large tree, the cat and the cock settled themselves in the branches; but the cock flew right to the top, where he was most safe. Before he went to sleep he looked round on all Last Name 13 four sides, and thought he saw in the distance a little spark burning; so he called out to his companions that there must be a house not far off, for he saw a light. The donkey said, "If so, we had better get up and go on, for the shelter here is bad." The hound thought too that a few bones with some meat on would do him good too! So they made their way to the place where the light was, and soon saw it shine brighter and grow larger, until they came to a well-lighted robbers house. The donkey, as the biggest, went to the window and looked in. "What do you see, my gray-horse?" asked the cock. "What do I see?" answered the donkey; "a table covered with good things to eat and drink, and robbers sitting at it enjoying themselves." "That would be the sort of thing for us," said the cock. "Yes, yes; ah, how I wish we were there!" said the donkey. Then the animals took counsel together how they should manage to drive away the robbers, and at last they thought of a plan. The donkey was to place himself with his fore-feet upon the window-ledge; the Last Name 14 hound was to jump on the donkeys back; the cat was to climb upon the dog, and lastly the cock was to fly up and perch upon the head of the cat. Before moving on to National Geographic photography’s influence on postmodernism, let us define the term postmodernism. There are many definitions available. Three will be listed: Greelynet.com (2001) quotes Anderson (1990), “A worldview that emphasizes the existence of different worldviews and concepts of reality, rather than one "correct or true" one. Whereas modernism emphasized a trust in the empirical scientific method, and a distrust and lack of faith in ideologies and religious beliefs that could not be tested using scientific methods; postmodernism emphasizes that a particular reality is a social construction by a particular group, community, or class of persons.” Postmodernism was defined in 1942 for the first time by Architectural Digest. The magazine stated that it is a combination of classical and modern styles. Postmodernism, especially in regards to this definition, applies to all areas of life—social, cultural, political, artistic, etc. Many people view it this way. In other words, everything seems to blend. There is no definite separation. National Geographic photography has infiltrated into all areas of our lives, our communities, and the planet by way of education, entertainment, charities, community building and so on and so forth. So the photography follows right along with postmodernism. Not only in photographers’ use of subject, lighting, shadows, reflections, equipment, etc. but also in its effects Last Name 15 on society, politics, education, and such. National Geographic photography, the magazine, and the society has always stood side by side with what was and is currently going on in our world. The times that we live in demand more realism and more drama as people want to see the real deal. They want to feel as if they are right there at that very moment. This pushes photographers and their photography to a challenge like they have never known before. A realistic approach in the photography to match the articles, this is what the photography strives for. To touch people at the very core. National Geographic photography helps us to have a better cross-cultural understanding. Approaches to Cross-Cultural Understanding (n.d.), in its listing of course objectives symbolizes the goals and results of the National Geographic’s photography: …a “toolbox” of categories useful for analyzing and comparing cultures. Many of these categories are drawn from the field of cultural studies, an interdisciplinary scholarly movement that analyzes culture and power using approaches from literature, sociology, history, anthropology, and media studies. A reader on Studying Culture introduces the concepts we need; it uses examples from both Britain and the U.S., many of which are from popular culture. The third level narrows our focus somewhat, exploring two book-length arguments about U.S. cultural relations with Europe (Pells, Not Like Us) and the rest of the Last Name 16 world (Lutz and Collins, Reading National Geographic). Lutz and Collins will help us think critically about how North Americans gain information about the rest of the world. Pells explores how Europeans and U.S. citizens relate to each other-- including the role of university exchange programs like ours, along with things like EuroDisney, the Marshall Plan, and the role of Coca-Cola in the Cold War. These books are quite different, and part of our goal is to analyze their disagreements. The point is not to treat them as sources for a survey of “objective facts" (a concept with severe limitations at this level of analysis) but as thoughtful arguments that we can interact with, in order to increase our skills at thinking clearly and writing persuasively about culture. Dunning, W. (1993) states that “Postmodernism reflects not the death of the self as suggested by John Passmore, but rather the shift from an indivisible to a divisible self. The notion of an indivisible self was a fairly recent development in European history, dating from about the 16th century, but has become anachronistic in current conditions of fragmentation. The work of artist Anselm Kiefer illustrates the connection between representation and identity with postmodern characteristics such as awareness of collective identity, cyclical view of time, fragmentation, religious or mythic references and a focus on polar opposites.” One need just to visit www.nationalgeographic.com to see examples of the discussion of this piece of writing. Last Name 17 Works Cited Approaches to Cross-Cultural Understanding (n.d.). 10 Jan. 2006. . Chamberlain, T. (n.d.). “Vanishing Cultures.” National Geographic. 2001. 04 Jan. 2006 . Cohen, E. (n.d.). “Spanning the Globe: The National Geographic Society’s aggressive growth strength.” The Philanthropy Roundtable. 2001. 04 Jan. 2006 . Dunning, W. (1993). Post-modernism and the construct of the divisible self. 10 Jan. 2006. . Notess, C. (2001) Greelynet.com. 06 Jan. 2006 . National Geographic (1999). “Bremen Town-Musicians.” 1914. Grimms’ Fairy Tales. 04 Jan. 2006 . NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM (n.d.). National Geographic Society. 1996-2006. 10 Jan. 2006. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/. Last Name 18 Parsell, D. (2002). “Explorer Wade Davis on Vanishing Culture.” National Geographic Views. 04 Jan. 2006 . “Penn Museum Presents in Focus: National Geographic Greatest Portraits on Display January 21 through April 15, 2006.” In the News. 01 Nov. 2005. University of Pennsylvania Museum. 04 Jan. 2006 < http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/news/fullrelease.php?which=196>. Rabasca (2004). “API’s Circulation Execs Take a Page from National Geographic.” N2 Newspaper Next: The Transformation Project. 21 November 2004. 04 Jan. 2006 . Zwingle, E. (1999). “Globalization: A World Together.” National Geographic Magazine. 06 Jan. 2006 . Read More