PHOTOGRAPHY AS A TOOL TO EVALUATE SOCIAL EVENTS

The aim of this article is to show how photography as an art form can be used as a tool to help us see the reality and the true color of the society that we live in. As it shows us the social reality with an objective look and from a different perspective, photography is also a very important medium to document history and important social events. The general question addressed in this article is whether it is possible to understand the social problems through camera lenses. This article does not intend to question whether photography is accepted as an art form, but rather it tries to understand how photographic images help us see the reality of the unseen. Since Gordon Parks has seemingly unlimited amount of photos, in this article only seven of his photo, which are seen as the vivid portrayals of racial discrimination in America, are going to be used. These photos are among the most popular ones and each one has a historical and cultural roots. Through these photos, it is intended to highlight the consequences of racist discourse in the US.