Blog post #3

According to Berger, publicity images have the same meaning as advertising images. Berger explains that these images surround us, so it is unique to modern society. These images intend to create a mental picture of the product or service in the customer’s mind. These images also help make the customer feel familiar with it and, lastly, induce a consultation of that knowledge into actual purchase.

Color photography or publicity photography has taken over the role of oil paint in a different context. The difference between oil painting and publicity photography is that everyone can see photography, but oil paintings were only for the ruling class. I think publicity photography affects how we feel, perceive, and judge everything in our society. For example, publicity images can lead to serious negative consequences for our psychological and physical wellbeing because these images promote false happiness.

One of the dreams Berger alludes to is the dream of a faraway place. This takes us to places we only see in travel brochures and manipulates us by visually pleasing us. These images are attractive, arouse curiosity amongst consumers, and are an intelligent way to attract new customers and provoke recent sales. Advertising images create an illusion or fantasy which requires a high level of skill accompanied by imagination to produce good work.