I can't pin down exactly when the phrase was first spoken, or who even spoke it for that matter. But the words within this well known sentence hold their weight in truth and simplicity to this very day.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
In my research I've seen this famous adage attributed to everyone from Confucius to Napoleon Bonaparte.
And to capture those thousand words even without any artistic ability, all we need is some type of camera in our hands. Now you, I or anyone, anywhere and at anytime can make that picture. And that picture we take will then entice the viewer to create their own words.
That camera you have in your hands does no good on it's own mind you, but held up level to the eye in some fashion as to see through it. Rarely does an individual go to the effort of raising the camera up in front of them without tripping the shutter at least once. Thus, I feel, this is where the camera belongs.
Instinctively, some will even complete the cycle and snap the shutter even though the moment they wanted to record was missed. By only a split second. The light cast upon that special moment in their lives has faded and is now lost forever. But maybe they'll take the shot anyway, knowing that when they review the images later, the moment in time they missed will still come back to them in memory.
I am this this type of person. I've wasted a lot of film, slides and money in the past, and am now very grateful for the digital age. Some photos that I missed or messed up on are still in my all time keeper collection. I can look at the out of focus image and still remember the story behind it. Easily a thousand words. (In my review process I'm also studying and criticizing every exposure in an effort to better myself as a photographer. In this way, nothing is really wasted.)
Without the invention of this thing called a camera however, our phrase of the day would take on a whole new meaning. A picture, whether it be a drawing, a painting or of some other similar medium, takes a long time to create. It may be easier for most to just write a thousand words.
Luckily the device made to capture light and the chemical solutions necessary to transfer it to a sheet of paper were invented. A long time ago. And to this day, I'd like to shake the hand of the person, or persons responsible for these inventions. But I can't. So I will continue to use this device they created to record my time and to make my own pictures. Using the camera to explore my world, and in some small way honor the inventor, without a handshake. I will be the one creating images for others to see and to write their own words.
The onlookers essay of a thousand words will never be exactly the same as mine, but that's not the point. The images I make for the onlooker are intended to fit into their lives, and the story they fabricate is their own. Without an image to look at however, the moment in time of their fixed glance would never take place, and their thousand words would never be written.
Paint your own pictures in life anyway that pleases you. Chances are there is someone out there that will appreciate it and you will make them think. And for a brief moment the images you make may create a simple distraction in another person's busy life. They may even allow themselves to be removed from where they currently are, if only for a few moments, and they'll write their own words to your picture.
In my opinion one of the simplest of mechanical devices ever created to communicate without words is the camera. Here's a condensed timeline.
1814 - Joseph Nicephore Niepce achieves first photographic image with camera obscura. However, the image required 8 hours of light exposure and it soon faded.
1826 - The first permanent photograph was made by Joseph Nicore Nipece.
1840 - The first camera invented was made by Alexander Wolcott. His camera design was patented on May the 8th.
1843 - First advertisement with a photograph made in Philadelphia.
1862 - A Russian writer name Ivan Turgenev wrote "A picture shows me at a glance what it takes dozens of pages to expound."
1900 - First mass-marketed camera - the Brownie.
1921 - The December issue of Printers Ink, a trade journal, carried an advertisement entitled, "One Look is Worth A Thousand Words." Coined by a gentleman named Fred R. Barnyard.
1927 - In a March issue of the same magazine ran another ad by Barnyard with the headline "One Picture is Worth Ten Thousand Words." It was quoted as a Chinese proverb. Barnyard said he did this so people would take it seriously.
Whether you choose to be the artist behind the lens, or the individual viewing the picture to write the story, the photographer is using the camera to convey their vision. Use it at your best discretion.
Words of Wisdom... Having the "right" camera doesn't fit into the equation. Any representation of the original invention will suffice.
and...
The image needs to be seen before the thousand words can ever be written.
You can read more at:
http://whoinvented.org/who-invented-camera/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_picture_is_worth_a_thousand_words
Photography and text by T. Michael Smith (Todd Smith for those of you who may know me)
©Earthshine Studios
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