Allan Sekula Professions : PhotographerBorn : January 15, 1951Died : August 10, 2013 Browse All Authors Quotes From Allan Sekula Documentary photography has amassed mountains of evidence. And yet... the genre has simultaneously contributed much to spectacle, to retinal excitation, to voyeurism, to terror, envy and nostalgia, and only a little to the critical understanding of the social world. Allan Sekula envyunderstandingphotography The only objective truth that photographs offer is the assertion that somebody or something... was somewhere and took a picture. Allan Sekula objective-truthoffersphotograph Documentary is thought to be art when it transcends its reference to the world, when the work can be regarded, first and foremost, as an act of self-expression on the part of the artist. Allan Sekula expressionselfart Black-and-white photos tell the truth. That's why insurance companies use them. Allan Sekula black-and-whitetelling-the-truthuse The photograph is an incomplete utterance, a message that depends on some external matrix of conditions and presuppositions for its readability. Allan Sekula utterancephotographmessages Photography promises an enhanced mastery of nature, but photography also threatens conflagration and anarchy. Allan Sekula masteryphotographypromise How does photography serve to legitimate and normalize existing power relationships? ... How is historical and social memory preserved, transformed, restricted and obliterated by photographs? Allan Sekula historicalphotographymemories The making of a human likeness on film is a political act. Allan Sekula filmpoliticalhumans Similar Authors Inge Morath photographer Bert Stern photographer Brent Stirton photographer Bunny Yeager photographer Burt Glinn photographer Bruno Barbey photographerAll Authors