Photos as Text

Photos as text There are strategies for reading photographs, just as there are strategies for reading texts. Photographers, like writers and cartoonists, use photography techniques to convey their messages. Some of these include composition, lighting metaphor, irony , the three appeals (ethos, logos, pathos), subject arrangement, color, images, and juxtaposition. The first step to understanding the language of phots is the deconstructing process. Use OPTIC and the Photograph analysis helper sheet.

Photography Techniques Composition: the arrangement of visual elements; the product of the photographer’s vision and his skill in seeing, identifying, arranging, and framing the finished image. Lighting: colors and tones Visual Metaphor: visual representation of an action, experience, or event Images: an implied discrepancy between appearance and reality Juxtaposition: intentional and sometimes natural placement of objects, people, or images to show contrast

Eisenstadt, Alfred. VJ Day Kiss. 1945 New. York: New York. Time Inc Eisenstadt, Alfred. VJ Day Kiss. 1945 New York: New York. Time Inc. Print.

Context Most photographs are usually accompanied by contextual information. I found an article from history.com that contextualizes the photograph that we just looked at. Let’s read the passage.

Assertion What is the purpose of the photo? What is the message the photographer is trying to share? Write an assertion statement that answers these questions.