Kael Alford Tells The Truth With Photography

With a quick snap from a phone, millions of photos can be taken and saved. Each click catches a moment and a memory. 

Documentary photographer and journalist Kael Alford discussed the evolution of photography and how her style has changed over the years during her LitFest presentation.

Alford takes photos to create time capsules of communities and cultures, as well as important moments such as the war in Iraq. She tries to capture what is in front of the lens. 

During her presentation, Alford explained the history of photography, displaying photographs on the board to physically take us through it. 

She explained how photography didn’t start with the camera app and Photoshop one button away, but rather how photography evolved. It started as box cameras and photos in black and white. Eventually, it became digital photography and AI apps. 

Alford has added her own photographs into the mix, shocking us with her work and her color contrasts. 

Her tone drew me in, leaving me curious to learn more about the art of photography. I found it interesting how photography has developed over time and how photography grew around ourselves. 

Historical moments were also captured using cameras thus telling a story. The first war to be documented through photos was the Civil War and the photos were a shock to everyone not in the war because it displayed the gruesome nature of war.

Alford then went on to explain how people began to see photography as art and create artistic selfies. People would pose as artificial icons or recreate artificial iconic moments from film and take shots of them. Photographs were seen as theatrical and as fantasy, taking realism and placing it in a whirl. 

Alford explained how photography revolves around self-obsession and seeing ourselves in photos. I realized that I have also documented emotional moments in my life with friends and family so that I can reminisce later. 

Alford discussed and showed how everyone around us has documented a moment in their life in some way, whether it be with photography, writing or drawing.

When the obsession with ourselves grew, the obsession on how we picture ourselves grew. Photoshop began to take place, where women would photoshop themselves to look perfect or what they believe is perfect in society’s eyes. 

Throughout her presentation, Alford also incorporated points about women’s rights, emphasizing the importance of how photographs show the truth and force people to face societal issues. 

Alford engaged the audience by asking us to guess whether the photos she displayed were ones she took or were created by AI apps. Everyone was in awe and disbelief when each of our guesses turned out to be incorrect. 

Alford made us think about technology in the future, where realism and fantasy are no longer separate and where false messages messing with politics can be sent out. This is already happening and it will only be a few years before someone finds a new way to use photography and technology. 

At the end of the presentation, I began to see that photography is art and it pushes boundaries, while also blurring the lines between falsities and fact. 

After looking through all the photos, it became harder to see which photos held the truth.

Alford took the time to explain every aspect of the photos and made us doubt every moment that is placed before our eyes.