The ultimate wisdom of the photographic image is to say ‘There is the surface, now think or rather feel, intuit, what is beyond it, what the reality must be like if it looks this way’.
Strictly speaking, one never understands anything from a photograph, Nevertheless, the camera's rendering of reality must always hide more than it discloses.
As Brecht points out, "a photograph of the Krupp works [munitions factory] reveals virtually nothing about the organization".
Only that which narrates can make us understand.” (p.23) The same objection could apply to painting, sculpture, mosaic, drawing or any medium that presents a single image for appreciation and contemplation.
However, it could be argued that photography and the traditional arts both tell stories and give accounts with this difference: In painting, the artist puts meaning into the picture.