Deception in Perception

Huie's Blog

Wing Young Huie captures just a moment in time. He gets to choose the setting, the angles, the lighting, and even the subjects-- but not how they are perceived. As a photographer, all one can do is influence that perception but never make it for the audience itself. The same goes for an author. Margaret Atwood's techniques lie in narration, language, setting, and devices. Just like Huie, she can shape the readers perspective but can never force it upon the reader. Thus, both creators explore the use of creative license and interpretation within their fields with various techniques-- ultimately, promoting their own way to express "otherlings." 

This photograph was taken as a part in Huie's collection Lake Street USA (1997-2000). It was titled "Big Geno and Little Geno" and was taken in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The lens depicts a man holding up a small puppy on a thick, chunky metal chain. The name of the man photographed is Geno and the name of the puppy was Little Geno. 

Upon first glance, one may judge the picture out of context. Geno has a rough, tight grip on the puppy and the dog seems to look sad almost. The coloring within the photograph takes life away and highlights the negative aspects within the photograph. Specifically, it makes the chain stand out more. The bulky chain seems to weigh down the puppy's neck. The man's expression could be interpreted as pleasant and proud of showing his dog on the chain. Many viewers of this photograph may see this piece as a commentary on dog fighting or animal abuse. But, when looking closer, the key to this photograph is understanding the man behind the lens. 

Huie states, "When photographing I try to present people as they present themselves and let viewers form their own narratives. A photograph, however, is just a snippet of that person. If you took a thousand photographs of someone, which photograph would be truest? And who decides the truth about any photograph—the person in it, the person who took it, or the person looking at it?"

Now, applying this concept to the picture, a new perspective can be explored. The viewer only has so much detail on the man and his life. By the looks of the setting, his neighborhood is a bit run down. He wears a "wife beater" tank top and sweats. His skin is black. All of these points are aspects Huie is choosing to showcase. The colors of each draw to that significant through black and white. The focus while on the man's expression, is taken away by the viewer being drawn to the puppy in the photo. Because, in the photograph, it is the reflection of innocence. This is where Huie is making his commentary. 

Huie is pointing out things that can be stereotyped easily in society. He is drawing attention to the race of the man. Not in the sense to point blame or paint that race in a negative light, but to instead show how little viewers know. Huie has constructed a photograph in which a viewer pretty much immediately receives as wrong and almost disturbing. He wants the audience, on a larger scale, to see what is beyond his lens and how easy it is to manipulate perspective. By a few technical choices, Huie can change the interpretation of its viewer.

In a way, through the words he writes underneath, he is challenging the viewer to be better. He describes the real story behind the photograph and the true intentions of the man. Instead of a story of abuse, he describes a man who loves his dog and is choosing to train it with a chain to make it stronger. Showing that, what you see and what you read, is not always what is there. 

Atwood constantly makes the same point throughout her novel, The Handmaid's Tale. By telling the story completely in Offred's narrative, the audience is only given a biased viewpoint of all the events at hand. We see each event as a fragment of her subconscious watching through her eyes and emotions. Beyond that even, every choice within the book is purposefully made by Atwood to influence her audience. Thus, she can manipulate the audience to view anyone as "othering" through her choices of techniques just like Huie did. Huie made the man seem "othering" through how he seemed to be okay with this animal abuse, even if that wasn't the case or the truth in the story. So, Atwood is able to do the same thing as an author. 

For instance, Atwood describes Serena Joy in the book as supportive of the Gilead society. By flipping between past and present in the factored text, the reader only gets to hear certain stories about Serena Joy-- most of which negative in nature. The audience most likely will develop an opinion on her that aligns with Offred's own opinion. But, if the reader is able to recognize that bias and manipulation in the text, they begin to develop a new opinion of Serena Joy. They watch her struggle as she too is unhappy and oppressed in the society she helped create. They also watch her get cheated on again. They begin to see her as her own individual and just another person oppressed in Gilead. Instead of this odd creature, she becomes human to the audience. 

The point being, both the photographer, Huie, and the author, Atwood, strive to make the use of bias and creative manipulation clear within their works. Both actively take advantage of techniques to influence the audience to hit on surface level themes and interpretations, especially when it comes to their presentation of "otherings". However, the key here is recognizing this and how they use it to help promote the deeper themes within their pieces. Through that outlook, the audience is able to gain a wider perspective that is more informed and more truthful.