At its heart, film is a purely visual art form. The same can also be said for photography. However, the two share a significant number of similarities. It can even be stated that photography directly influences movie making. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that plenty of films have been released over the years that are about the art of taking photos.

Film Examples

In the movie One Hour Photo, a picture developer becomes dangerously obsessed with a family. He hoards their images and fantasises about being part of their lives. Robin Williams plays the villain in this dark thriller exploring the power of photography over the human psyche.

In the 1960s, an art film called Blow-Up came out, which now acts as a visual record of Swinging London. It follows a professional photographer as he takes pictures of supermodels. The story takes a strange turn when he sees a crime committed through his camera.

If readers are looking for a movie about photography, there are few more famous than Rear Window. It was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense. James Stewart plays a man who is confined to his apartment after breaking a leg. He views the outside life around him through the lens of his camera.

Photography is also sometimes featured in horror films. For example, in The Omen, a man sees a clue to his own impending death when developing photos of himself. This serves to create a tremendous amount of narrative tension.