Is Photographic Image Represented the Reality?

The development of technology represents the circulations and progresses of culture and society, from ‘death of painting' (after the invention of photography) to ‘death of photography' (after the invention of digital image). It seems too severe by using the term ‘death'. In actually, the ‘death' is not really death since there are still many people who ardently love painting; galleries are opened as usual for the public. In the case of photography, the invention of the digital camera does not entirely take over the traditional role of the photographer. However, the ‘loss of the real' (Lister, eds. 1995: 1) is the argument here based on the development of technology, for example, computer software. We have entered a new generation where we are surrounded by illusions. It is not a positive progress that technology made for photographic image. The judgment of what we call ‘a good image' is no longer based on how skillful the photographer is. Instead, we could assume that there is no such things as good or poor taken image, only if you know how to use software. The invention of computer software makes things from impossible to possible. This paper aims to argue that photography is only an action. No matter traditional photograph or digital image, none of them is presented the reality. With the application of computer software, the original content of a photographic image is missing to some degree.