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    Basic Strategies in Reading Photographs PDF

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    Sree Hari
    In the presentation below, the concepts are illustrated with photographic works. To enhance your appreciation of photography it is necessary to develop visual literacy. Each image offers a variety of interpretations, so the information provided should be regarded as a starting point.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Basic Strategies in Reading Photographs PDF

    Uploaded by

    Sree Hari
    181 views6 pages
    In the presentation below, the concepts are illustrated with photographic works. To enhance your appreciation of photography it is necessary to develop visual literacy. Each image offers a variety of interpretations, so the information provided should be regarded as a starting point.

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    Basic Strategies in Reading Photographs.pdf

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    In the presentation below, the concepts are illustrated with photographic works. To enhance your appreciation of photography it is necessary to develop visual literacy. Each image offers a variety of interpretations, so the information provided should be regarded as a starting point.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    181 views6 pages

    Basic Strategies in Reading Photographs PDF

    Uploaded by

    Sree Hari
    In the presentation below, the concepts are illustrated with photographic works. To enhance your appreciation of photography it is necessary to develop visual literacy. Each image offers a variety of interpretations, so the information provided should be regarded as a starting point.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    You are on page 1of 6

    7/5/2015

    BasicStrategiesinReadingPhotographs

    BasicStrategiesinReadingPhotographs
    Ofcourse,youknowwhatyoulike.Butwouldyouliketoknowmore
    abouthowaphotographiscomposed?Bylearningwhatvisualelements
    theartistusestocommunicatewithyou,youmayappreciatebetterwhy
    youlikeordon'tlikeaparticularworkofart.Inthepresentationbelow,the
    conceptsareillustratedwithphotographicworks.Clickontheworkfora
    largerimageofitandthenclickonBACKtoreturntothepresentation.
    NuovothankstheMuseumofPhotographicArt(MOPA)inSanDiegofor
    allowingustoadoptoneoftheirpapersforthispresentation.Artistic
    exampleswereaddedbyNuovowithpermissiontheartist.Allimagesarecopyrightedbythe
    photographer,JackLeigh.Allrightsarereserved.

    Index
    Objective
    BasicVocabulary
    VisualElements
    Composition

    Objective:
    Todevelopvisualliteracy
    Learnthebasicvocabularyusedinformalanalysesinthevisualarts
    Combinecontentinformationwithformalanalysisto"read"(analyze)
    photographs

    Toenhanceyourappreciationofphotographyitisnecessarytodeveloptheskillstomake
    carefulvisualanalysis.Whileeveryonecaneasilydiscussthecontentsofphotographs("what
    yousee"),mostneedmoretrainingtolearnaboutformalanalysisusedinthevisualarts.
    Formalanalysisfocusesonanartwork's"formal"qualities,orthosevisualelementsthatgiveit
    form.Theseinclude:shape,size,texture,line,space,etc.
    Formalanalysisprovidesabasiccommonlanguageinthevisualarts.However,adescription
    ofaphotographbasedonlyonformalanalysiswouldbeincomplete.Photographersmake
    decisionsbothaboutcomposition(arrangementofvisualelements)aswellascontent
    (meaning)whentakingphotographs.Consequently,itisimportanttoconsidertheartist's
    intentionsformakingaphotographofaparticularsubject.Finally,thehistoricalandsocial
    contextinwhichaphotographwasmademustalsobecarefullyconsidered.
    Animportantnote:eachimageoffersavarietyofinterpretations.Therefore,theinformation
    providedinthisresourceforeachphotographshouldberegardedasastartingpointfor
    discussionandnotasaconclusiveinterpretation.Thereisnoonecorrectanswerwhen
    interpretingworksofart.Weencourageyoutocarefullyexaminephotographstodevelopyour
    skillsforanalyzingphotographsandtoexploreyourownpersonalinterpretations.
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    BasicStrategiesinReadingPhotographs

    GeneralVocabularyUsedinPhotography
    Thefollowingwordsarethebasicvocabularyusedindescribingphotographs.

    abstract:animagethatemphasizesformalelements(line,shape,etc)rather
    thanspecific,recognizableobjects.

    content:thesubject,topicorinformationcapturedinaphotograph.

    directapproach:confrontingasceneinastraightforwardmanner,without
    usingunusualanglesordistortion.

    documentaryphotography:photographswhosemainpurposeistorecorda
    place,person(s)orevent.

    expressive:concernedwithcommunicatingemotion.

    geometricshape:simplerectilinearorcurvilinearshapesfoundingeometry,
    suchascircles,squares,triangles,etc.

    intention:reason(s)whytheartistmadeaworkofart.

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    BasicStrategiesinReadingPhotographs

    landscape:animagethatportraysthenaturalenvironment.

    objective:apointofviewfreefrompersonalbias,whichattemptstoconsider
    allavailableinformationwithequalregardandfairness.

    organicshape:shapesbasedonnaturalobjectssuchastrees,mountains,
    leaves,etc.

    representational:animagewhichshowsrecognizableobjects.

    subject:themainobjectorperson(s)inaphotograph.

    theme:aunifyingordominantideainoneworkofartorinacollectionof
    works.

    VisualElements
    Practicetheuseofthesewordsbyaskingthefollowingquestions:

    focus:whatareasappearclearestorsharpestinthephotograph?Whatdo
    not?

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    light:whatareasofthephotographaremosthighlighted?Arethereany
    shadows?Doesthephotographallowyoutoguessthetimeofday?Isthe
    lightnaturalorartificial?Harshorsoft?Reflectedordirect?

    line:arethereobjectsinthephotographthatactaslines?Arethey
    straight,curvy,thin,thick?Dothelinescreatedirectioninthephotograph?
    Dotheyoutline?Dothelinesshowmovementorenergy?

    repetition:arethereanyobjects,shapesorlineswhichrepeatandcreate
    apattern?

    shape:doyouseegeometricororganicshapes?Whatarethey?

    space:istheredepthtothephotographordoesitseemshallow?What
    createsthisappearance?Arethereimportantnegativespacesinaddition
    topositivespaces?Istheredepthcreatedbyspatialillusions?

    texture:ifyoucouldtouchthesurfaceofthephotographhowwouldit
    feel?Howdotheobjectsinthepicturelookliketheywouldfeel?

    value:istherearangeoftonesfromdarktolight?Whereisthedarkest
    value?Whereisthelightest?

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    CompositionofthePhotograph
    Thewordsherewillallowyoutothinkabouthowvisualelementscombinewithinaphotographtocreatea
    composition.

    angle:thevantagepointfromwhichthephotographwastakengenerallyused
    whendiscussingaphotographtakenfromanunusualorexaggeratedvantage
    point.

    background:thepartofasceneorpicturethatisorseemstobetowardthe
    back.

    balance:thedistributionofvisualelementsinaphotograph.
    Symmetricalbalancedistributesvisualelementsevenlyinan
    image.Asymmetricalbalanceisfoundwhenvisualelements
    arenotevenlydistributedinanimage.

    centralfocus:theobjects(s)whichappearsmostprominentlyand/ormost
    clearlyfocusedinaphotograph.

    composition:thearrangementorstructureoftheformalelementsthatmake
    upanimage.

    contour:theoutlineofanobjectorshape.

    contrast:strongvisualdifferencesbetweenlightanddark,varyingtextures,
    sizes,etc.
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    framing:whatthephotographerhasplacedwithintheboundariesofthe
    photograph.

    setting:actualphysicalsurroundingsorscenerywhetherrealorartificial.

    vantagepoint:theplacefromwhichaphotographertakesaphotograph.

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