Cinema and Photography: Influencing Each Other?

It is a well known fact that the art of photography predates the art of cinema by several decades. It is also a well known fact that cinematography evolved from the art of photography. But it is not known to many that the art of photography has also been impacted greatly by the art of cinematography. Many photographers have been inspired by their favourite films and film masters. There is an exposition of the works of ten Magnum photographers who picked their lessons from cinema at the Cinematheque Francaise.

For a snappy grasp of the influence of the cinema image on the psyche and the reality the photographer seeks to see in the photographic image, the works of Jalais Abbas, the Iran-born photographer with Magnum, are a good way to start. In the example given at the exposition, the politically surcharged street scene of Tehran in 1979 (photo 2)bears a strong imprint of an image from Roberto Roselleni's 1946 film Paisa. (photo 1)


There is a clue for us in the Cinematheque Francaise exposition to explore and map the relationships between the images of Indian photography and Indian cinemas. Possible? hmmmmm.