A photograph is defined as an image that is captured by a camera. When a photograph is taken, the image produced only displays a minor representation of the actual scene. In Natasha Trethewey’s collection of poems “Bellocqs Ophelia” she expresses the life of her character Ophelia based on the photographs of prostitutes taken by E. J. Bellocq. Trethewey was able to write an entire collection of poems based on simple photographs. There is a saying that states “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Trethewey proves this saying to be true because she was able to look beyond the visual representation she saw. She found the true inner state of the women in the photographs by only looking at the moment captured. In Trethewey’s conversation with Rosemary Magee, she stated that photographs inspire her to write poems because she knows each holds a deeper meaning. She believes that poems are the tool to express those deeper meanings and utilizes them entirely to make her thoughts heard.
Throughout her collection ,she constantly refers to photographs to emphasize the partial true they display. She states “I’ve learned the camera well-the danger of it, the half-truths it cant tell…” (Trethewey 30) to let the reader know that she is aware that photographs can be deceiving and not show reality. However, she also implies that it is up to one to look for that reality in a photo and not only believe what we see. Although the photographs of Ophelia are made to portray her as a perfect woman living a great life, her reality is the opposite. “I wear my best gown for the picture…Behind me, Bellocqs black scrim just covers the laundry- tea towels, bleached and frayed, drying on the line” (Trethewey 40) she states. Some pictures only show unreal scenes that are assembled to expose specific things while hiding others.
The photographs weren’t the only things that were misleading in Trethewey’s poems. On page 39 her poem reads “I’m so foolish that I don’t know this photograph we make will bear the stamp of his name, not mine.” The photographer Bellocq was the person who received all the glory and fame for his images while the model went unnoticed. Ophelia was the person who made the pictures have expressions through her poses, but yet the praise went to Bellocq. As a result of these things, we cannot always believe what we see and must look for deeper meanings.
I’m not sure that Bellocq was out to make it appear that Ophelia and the other women of Storyville were living a great life, but you are absolutely right to focus on the deceptive nature of photographs. What is it about photographs that makes them so easy to trick us? Aren’t they simply showing us what’s been placed in front of the lens?