What makes an image so important?

"Migrant Mother". (1936). Dorothea Lange.

Since its use as a means to study the moon, the discovery of wonders of nature, interpretations of a war, a family memory, a lifestyle, even thinking on how it will be published on Instagram, an image has been influenced by the author's intention, composition, edition and production .
An image can become a magnet wanting you to know more about it and know the story behind, or can quickly turn into thirty seconds of disinterest. The edition of a series of photographs has been influenced from its exhibition by professionals in a dark room by choosing “the ones I like” with the “ones I don't like” to the “likes” or “dislikes” in social networks by all of us.

"The Animals and their Keepers". (1967). Garry Winogrand.

The power of photography has been so strong that in the twentieth century documentary photography became to underscore the text of the news and articles published in the written press and magazines. In the 60’s, text started to be replaced by photographs and fewer written content was included in the publication of an article. Publishers and the popular press came to greatly influence the intentions of photographers and the nature of documentary photography. Nowadays, this continues to encourage photographers to develop their own projects and photobooks; it has become a new escape to tell their own versions and intentions reflected through images.

But, still what makes it to remain so important?

Playing with images as a universal language is one of the great powers of this art.
​The relationship that a photograph has with another one and the next one, becomes a visual communication.  It can start with abstract content and end in real and tangible concepts.
Details that mostly go unnoticed, such as contrasts, angles, the moment of action, the values of the F, colors, the subject or object, its whole composition work together to make this transformation possible.

"Indecisive moment". (2011). Philip Lorca Dicorcia.

Another reference is the photograph of Dorothea Lange in 1936 during the Great Depression. She was called upon by the US Government to document the economic and social effects of this debacle.  During her documenting process, she took 6 photographs of the same mother with her children, one of them being the most iconic throughout history, “The Migrant Mother. " The massive impact that this image had and continues to have is what makes photography to be important over the years even through the technological advances.

"Migrant Mother". (1936). Dorothea Lange.

Dorothea Lange. The author.

​The subject, contrast, colors, angles, the composition and the combination of one image with another along with the author's intentions are important details behind an image that makes it so endurable.
What else do you consider important?