Semiotics and Photography How we read the image

Semiotics Developed from the works of Saussure / Pierce Initially language based Study of signs / social production of meaning by sign systems Spoken and written language, clothing, gestures, images……

Roland Barthes French philosopher and linguist (1915 – 1980) He felt that society is a construction, perpetuated by signs of the dominant values within its culture. Developed the field into new areas

In particular images / photography His book Camera Lucida (1980), along with Susan Sontag’s On Photography (1971), is considered a seminal text on photography (Although, surprisingly the book is more a personal reflection on his relationship with photographs, rather than a semiotic analysis)

The Sign / Signifier The spoken word The written word The gesture The image Only properly understood by their differences from other signs

The signified A concept Not of the real world Culturally learned attributed meanings Personal experience impacting upon meaning There are two types of signified

Denotation In photographic terms, what is shown in the image A photograph of a flag shows a flag The colour red denotes a certain part of the colour spectrum, and differentiates it from blue or pink

Connotation The meanings associated with the sign / image The connotation of the colour red may be as an indicator of danger, or passion

The Power of the Image This image is one of, if not the most famous image from WWII It was taken by the photographer Joe Rosenthal in 1945 and won him the Pulitzer Prize. The shot became the most widely reproduced picture in U.S. history What meaning do we take from this image? What elements contribute to that meaning?

Mythic Signs Messages that go without saying Reinforce dominant ideologies of the culture Do not raise questions or critical thinking Could the Iwo Jima image could be construed as a mythic sign?

Polysemy We recognise the associated meanings of the sign This meaning is not fixed Our own experiences can change the meaning

Polysemy Many signs we encounter have many elements This juxtaposition of elements can allow for multiple significations This compounds the possibilities the possibilities for polysemy

Language Knowledge Usually you need to understand the language to decode the message. To decode the written or spoken word in English you must know the language. In photography there is no prerequisite to understand the language.

Photo Edit Software The development of photo edit software has dramatically increased the ability of the photographer / editor to create meaning The use of multiple elements can have positive and negative outcomes

Challenging myths The Falling man (taken by Richard Drew) contradicted the dominant cultural myths Public outcry (the majority?) Media divisions Suppression of image Still causes much debate

Conclusion Semiotics – the study of signs and their meanings Photographs are part of a system of signs which can perpetuate or challenge dominant cultural myths

Selected images

Lange

Byer

Cartier-Bresson

Salgado

Veder

Mapplethorpe