Conceptual and Technical Development of War Photography in the 20th Century in the Middle East

This study is considered a theoretical introduction to understanding photographs through tracking the conceptual and technical development for war photography during the 20th century in the Middle East. This philosophical aspect represented by the views of prominent photography critics including Roland Barthes, Susan Sontag, and John Tagg as well as the analytical aspect that looks into the conceptual, aesthetic, and functional denotation of the photograph. Analysis of the photograph is conducted over two stages; the first is through analyzing the photograph shape and technical values. The second is the understanding of the implied dimensions which are the symbols and denotations of the photograph that represent the group of ideas and meanings. In other words, the visual and the non-visual analysis of the photograph lead to the organized analytical understanding of the photograph. For instance, the photojournalism holds humanitarian and functional aspect in addition to the artistic, aesthetic, and social values. Furthermore, the tremendous technological advancement of the production, display, and the storage of photographs which influenced the social acceptance of war scenes and it became part of our present conscious.