“Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognises before it can speak…If we accept that we can see that hill over there, we propose that from that hill we can be seen. The reciprocal nature of vision is more fundamental than that of spoken dialogue. And often dialogue is an attempt to verbalize this – an attempt to explain how, either metaphorically or literally, ‘you see things’, and an attempt to discover how ‘he sees things’." (BERGER, 1972).
The challenge this week was learning how to ‘read an image’. I have always been a very visual person drawn to the initial impact of a photograph. However, it was an interesting exercise, taking time to scrutinise a series of photographs which I wouldn’t have been drawn to originally.
· How did it make me feel and why?
· What details had been included and what message might the author have been trying to portray?
So many factors affect how we feel about an image and whilst the author is likely to carry their own intentions this is always open to interpretation by the viewer which is likely based on their own assumptions formed by culture, environment, and personal taste, to name just a few.
The passing of time can also affect the importance of an image, photographs taken during the conflict of WWII may have proved controversial at the time, but these can provide a powerful historic record which resonates more robustly than the spoken word.
Personal photographs can also have a varied level of importance over time for example if a family member passes away, their photographs are likely to take on a deeper sense of importance.
The environment in which we encounter an image also has a huge impact on how it is perceived, for example, a two-meter print, framed and prominently positioned on a prestigious gallery wall is likely to demand an elevated level of importance as a ‘piece of art’. But would this same photograph warrant equal importance if it were encountered as part of a magazine article?
What became apparent through this module was how much our own experiences affect how we view an image, how we interpret the small details, and how it makes us feel based on our upbringing, values, family, and heritage.
References:
BERGER, John. Ways of Seeing. 1972. London: Penguin
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