The Belief That a Picture Will Take Your Soul.

There is a belief in the world that if you take a picture of a person that it will take their soul. Now in this belief there have been instances where a picture was taken of an object and after something happened to that object in the picture. There are many blogs that will support what I’ve said. Like if you do a search for bleeding edge column: art of stealing souls it shows some pictures that things have happened to the pictures. For example on in the article there is a picture of a statue angel that was in a fire and there is a burn surrounding the angel but the angel is untouched. I believe that some things can’t be explained and are coincidences, but in these pictures it seems that there is more to them. Now believing that a picture will take your soul I can definitely understand with the things I’ve seen in some of the pictures. One of the major things that makes me think the way that I do is, the pictures you see with unexplained blurs or shadows (granted most are fakes) but some are real.

Now many people in the world think just the same way; some of the aborigines of Australia refuse to have their pictures taken because of this belief. Also, there are some towns in Mexico that still believe in the old Mayan ways and they won’t have their pictures taken either. There is a church in Chiapas, Mexico that won’t let picture be taken in the church. I’m curious if so many people believe in something does it make it true? One of the most famous Native American stories is that of Crazy Horse, even on his deathbed he would not let anyone take his picture. There is a religious ceremony that the Navajo Indians do; it is called “Sing”. This ceremony is a very complicated dance usually done by the medicine man of the village; it is believed to recover a person’s soul.

Leslie Marmon Silko is a Native American author who argues that in order to understand her idea of photo narrative, we must attempt to understand how Native Americans view photography. Modern Native American aesthetics differ greatly from those in past years. Much of the older photography concerning the culture of the indigenous peoples of America reflects the 'otherness' that is traditionally attached to Native American identity. If one examines an older photograph of an American Indian, many of which were taken by white photographers, the emphasis is on exploiting the superficial aspects of Native American culture such as feather costumes. I was told along time ago that I was part Native American but I have never looked if I was or not. Now my beliefs are almost the same as Silko’s. I know that I will never take a Native American’s photo without their permission.

So there are many different beliefs out there about this subject many are right online, so if you are a new photographer it is good to know this stuff if you like that kind of photography. I have always loved the Native American culture that is why I have researched what I have.