Reaction to "Pictures for Rent" by Abbott Miller

Miller's perception of stock photography can "offer a way of studying images as a form of currency that funds advertising." Between 1974-75 the mass media adopted photography as a control method, in that photography was recognized as an emotional and physiological function. The input of data and information within a photograph served a direct connection with the development of consumer to business relationship throughout the world. Thus, followed such corporate ideals such as branding, which looked at the consumer market as a form of a growing, marketable currency. Therefore, stock photographers were told to "shoot for 'concept' rather than 'content,' to think in terms of 'word pictures." This rise of new artistic meaning forced the photographer to produce work for an audience, market, society, boss, media, young, old, ugly, pretty, and all other stereotypes. These stereotypes were then used to control and manipulate the mass media and persuade the public into buying an image of themselves. Individuality and uniqueness were no longer valued in the realm of stock photography. Therefore, the ideology of corporations and mass media were to generalize societal structures through semiotic-rich images and resell the new 'image' of self back to the consumer. Thus creating a modern culture dependent on mass media to control and construct there visions of them'selves'.