The Photographic Sign: Photography’s semantic relation to reality

Abstract

Photography’s primary function, unlike that of other visual arts, is to record events, due to the close physical bond that exists between photographer and subject. Nevertheless, photography can also create narratives which distance it from its referential function and move it towards more symbolic realms. Given its ability to act simultaneously as icon, index and symbol, photography has been used in a variety of ways, keeping the debate about the relationship between signifier and signified very much alive. What follows is a reflection on the photographic sign and its relationship with the referent, depending on the image’s function.