ABSTRACT
A key factor in many of the examinations of vernacular photography is materiality’s ability to act as an agent and a mediator of social action, thus a primary concern has been the relationship between images and humans and the ways in which materiality acts as the conduit between the two. The photographic surface has been shown to act upon the supposed transparency of the photographic image. Moreover, it is the materiality that has made one of the photographs an artwork and the other non-art information. By extending historical research, such as that presented, to include more contemporary materials and presentational methods, the people might gain a more thorough understanding of their effects, allowing for more informed decisions to be made when considering the material forms exhibited images should take. Examining the materiality of photographs should not be viewed as a challenge to the value and importance of the photographic image.
