- We've discussed the ideas of symbols, metaphor
and iconography to communicate a concept.
These engage the viewer and challenge him or her
to understand the message.
This has more staying power
than the literal image of a scene.
Now, we get into deeper water,
how we read images and assign meaning.
This approach is less direct
and often may have multiple possible communications.
But, like JFK said, "we do these things
"not because they are easy, but because they are hard."
First, let's talk about the way we see an image,
specifically a photograph.
A photograph contains a vast amount of information
that the viewer will interpret literally and symbolically.
We don't simply stare at an image and move on,
we decipher it.
We first work to understand the literal content
of the image.
In this instance, we see a woman on the roof of a building
somewhere in an urban setting.
Then, we assign a narrative.
She's looking at a friend on the street.
Her coat appears vintage, pointing to her profession,
an artist or writer.
It's cold and might be winter.
We then process the elements and assign meaning.
She's looking out at the view,
signifying her ability to see the big picture,
or at least life from a different view point.
Standing on a roof is brave.
She must be willing to take risks.
And the type on the bottom of the image, "SCHOOL,"
connotes a sense that she's involved in education.
None of these facts may be true,
but we will create meaning with any image.
When we view a photograph, we accept it as reality.
A painting might be a subjective interpretation,
but photographs depict reality.
On this image, we can identify
the men and women's socioeconomic status,
approximate year it was taken,
possibly even who the people are.
In this instance, we read rich people
at the turn of the 20th century.
Alternatively, an image taken a few decades later
tell us that this is a struggling mother
during the depression.
Her children's faces are turned away,
allowing the viewer to focus on the woman's face
as she appears to focus on her struggle.
Combining images creates a more complex narrative,
as the viewer needs to decipher each photograph
and then understand the intended communication
of the images combined.
Together, they work as a statement on class inequality.
Beyond the setting, clothing and attitude,
there are other cues for us to consider,
such as the point of view.
The upper class people are viewed from below,
while the migrant mother is at our level.
Combining images can be as simple
as two images placed next to each other.
This is a catalog for a film festival.
The image above is a still
from one of the films at the festival.
The image below is of a director and camera person
in the process of making a film.
The image above of a living room setting
and the man viewing something tells us
about the audience experience.
The other image looks complex and arduous,
reinforcing the difficulty of filmmaking.
There is no type on the cover as the content
is film and imagery.
This process can be a language puzzle,
as in this ad for a camera company.
The viewer is asked to reconstruct the message
within the images.
Each image contains a word or image that, combined,
tell us the name and price of the SLR camera.
The secondary reading is the language of film,
with the numbers of each frame from the negatives
and contact sheet print.
The images all communicate the vitality and excitement
of photographing the urban landscape.
The typographic language of the film
let's the viewer know that this is a professional camera
for serious photographers.
Since the invention of photography,
we've been conditioned to quickly recognize the contents
and assign a story.
The internal dialogue that occurs
draws the viewer into the idea and creates resonance.