How powerful pictures are to change the world?

Pictures may be worth 1000 words but just how much are they worth in shaping public opinion? Are unedited, uncensored and profoundly disturbing graphic images more likely to materially affect public opinion than those typically shown on television and in newspapers and magazines? Images are so powerful. In only a picture, many questions might be pop out from one’s mind. We will never see the whole world but we can experience a lot more of it via photography.

            Once I found this one picture shown an unemployed man waiting for their customers to put shoes on a block provided to be polished. This picture was taken in Hong Kong.

When I first saw this picture, I was thinking why are they doing this, a job that can make people look down on us? Then I realized these people have no basic knowledge and it inspires me to study hard, achieve good results, then score a good job. As simple as that, I can say how powerful images are in order to change one’s view or perspective like I realized how important knowledge is, so that I won’t become like them.

Other than that, I had read an online news years ago and I found a picture that really touched my heart. This man named Hhaing The Yu, 29, holds his face in his hand as rain falls on the decimated remains of his home in the Swhe Pyi Tha township, near Myanmar’s capital of Yangon, on 11^th May 2008. Cyclone Nargis struck southern Myanmar that leaving millions homeless and has claimed up to 100,000 lives. So, what I can say from this picture is, we should not just think about our hardships because there are always people who suffer more than us.

Let it be simply declared that a picture really has its own power that they can bring tears to our eyes, lift our spirits, or sink our hearts. Images are powerful, and with such power must come responsibility for their prudent and thoughtful use.