jb7, you missed the trick! Your response/question is essentially what David continued in his second paragraph!

To objectify is to make something into a commodity of sorts, to be discussed or viewed, or bought and sold.

As David said:

Quote Originally Posted by mdm
So in the end it is not always clear what is being objectivised. The emotional and aesthetic sensibility of the photographer, the thing in the picture, or the assumptions and preconceptions of the viewer.