A blank canvas

Morgan Rooney
MSMU Class of 2020

(5/2019) I don’t believe that you can compare what can be shown in a photo and what can be described through the written word. They have the ability to complement each other, but the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" doesn’t necessarily ring true with me.

The are benefits of a picture that you could not begin to explain in words. When portraying emotions, or the human perception of beauty, or viewing something one might find disturbing, no words could describe those elements with the justice they deserve. An example I can think of is ‘V-J Day in Times Square.’ This is a photo I am certain everyone has seen before. The emotions and spontaneity of the events in the photo are perfectly captured in this photograph and would not be better described through speech or writing.

Another photo that shows what words cannot is the photo of Phan Th Kim Phúc, also known as the Napalm girl. This was a photo taken in June, 1972 near a village occupied by North Vietnam forces. South Vietnam soldiers dropped a napalm bomb in this village, leading Kim Phúc, only nine years old, and other civilians to flee. The photo is captured as Kim Phúc is running down the road, naked and crying, alongside the others. The emotions and disturbing nature of this photo is something that could not be reciprocated through words. It’s something one needs to view to feel what is meant to be felt.

The same would go for a breathtaking view. Not even the greatest author could describe the colors of a sunset or the way all the shadows in a forest fall in a way that would give the same ambiance as seeing it. No one can describe where each star is in a night sky and all else that lingers in the air. When the visual sense is so strong, a photo would be appropriate.

A photo alone however, isn’t left without its flaws. Photos can be taken completely out of context with no information. Photos cannot hold the information of 1000 words, and more than 1000 words can hold all the emotions and beauty that a photo does.

"Seeing is believing," people often say, but these days, people believe what they want to believe. If a photo shows something they don’t want to believe they will formulate a reasoning (whether that be true or untrue) for why what is shown is false. If someone wants to believe the testimony of others through the written word, they will, and if not, they won’t. If a quality author is writing, there is no limits on what can be said.

Sight is not the only sense, however, that humans possess. In a photo, it is impossible to describe taste, touch, sounds, or smells, or even that gut feeling you get when something is wrong. The eeriness of the fog that hangs over a field, and the overwhelming smell of ocean mist on the beach in the winter cannot be described through a simple, still photo. The same goes for the sound of vultures circling above, rustling of trees, or the cracking of the pine needles on the fire on a night which has temperatures well below zero and your fingers feel like they are about to snap right off.

When reading a story, and when fully immersing yourself into that story with no distractions, the reader can create that picture in his or her mind with overwhelming detail, as the brain is capable of such things. The same is not true of a picture. When looking at a photo, the viewer can make any assumptions they want about that photo, but unless they were present when it was captured, there is no way to know if the information they gathered is true, or they are being deceived.

Even if a story is being read to you, you can close your eyes and imagine what is happening word by word. We can put ourselves right there in the story to understand how our characters feel to the best of our ability.

As a writer myself, something that I try to keep in mind whenever I start something new is that a blank page is like an empty canvas, but with even more potential (as far as my talents go at the very least). When writing, there are absolutely no limitations of what could make it on that page. I could write about anything I could possibly conceive and bring it to life through the limited vocabulary our language (or any other language I may be knowledgeable of) has.

I could write about the most beautiful moment of my life, or of an entire fantasized event that has no possibility of occurring. I could write the most hateful words and disturbing messages and they would hold power. Words, most of the time, can tell stories in greater detail than photos can because they are not limited to sight, but can describe visuals in a way that brings them to life.

Words can describe emotions in a different way than photos. There isn’t an easy way to take a photo that portrays how much you love a person. It is more beneficial to write them a letter and pour your heart and soul into your words. You can describe that warm, fluttery feeling you get in your stomach and the way you heart stops every time you see them.

There are truly no limits set to what you can put on a blank page. A white canvas could be filled with any amount of colors with no limitations. Photos and words are certainly not interchangeable and they are both great ways to communicate certain messages. They complement each other but can also stand alone, given the right circumstances. A picture is not worth 1000 words, yet 1000 words isn’t worth a picture either. They hold their own.

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