Lecture Four

"Of all of our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language"

-- Walt Disney

Photography, though a relatively new technology, has become a crucial element of Journalism and a source of news in it's own right. Today's lecture was essentially an overview of the medium; it's history and various developments. 


A photograph can convey a powerful message instantly to any audience. It is not constrained by language barriers and our capabilities for sharing images develop more and more every day. It seemed pointless to reflect on a lecture about images with words, so I have found some photos that I find particularly interesting or powerful to better demonstrate the profound affect that an image can have.


These moments in time are significant historical events that show humanity both at it's very best, and at it's very worst. People have captured these extraordinary events so that they can be shared with the rest of the world. 

Astronaut Neil Armstrong 

Moon Landing, 1969

US Troops Destroy Statue of Sadam Hussein

Iraq, 2003

Tsunami Victim

Japan, 2011

Cathy Freeman Wins Olympic Gold Medal

Sydney, 2000

Afghani Children Wait for Medical Aid

Afghanistan, 2009

Polar Bear Stands on a Melting Ice Shelf

North Pole, 2009

All of the above photos are the property of others, reproduced here for academic purposes only.