Looking+At+Images

Analyzing a Photograph

Images can both move us emotionally and challenge us intellectually. These affects are the result of the techniques by which the images were created (be they photos, paintings, drawings, prints, posters etc.) Understanding how the construction of an image works on a viewer is essential to being a savvy consumer and cultural critic.

In a photograph, camera techniques, including distance from subject, orientation to image, gaze of he subject, and point of view influence the effects the image will have upon the viewer.

By looking at the picture, can we tell who the photographer was? What is their relationship to the subject?

The settings, furnishings, and props in an image carry significant social meanings, and often create stories that carry both obvious and subtle messages.

Advertisers target specific audiences and then use a variety of strategies, many of them visual, to move the hearts and minds of their target audiences.

Some Introductory questions to ask:

-Where was the picture taken? ~What are the people wearing? ~What is happening in the picture? ~What, if anything, is surprising about the picture? ~How does the image make you feel? ~What do you see in the background? ~What is the most noticeable feature of the picture? -Who took the photograph? -What is the photographer's intention? Why might some consider this picture "powerful"? -Why would a company use a historical picture as a model for its advertisement?