Reading Assessment 2

Barrett Ch. 3 Interpreting photographs for 9/30

1. What is the author’s thesis?

The author wants to inform others on how to interpret photos, and explain that there are many styles to interpret one photograph. Not everyone’s interpretation will be the same, that’s what makes photography so interesting.

2. What examples does he use to support the thesis?

Barrett explains interpretation using an interpretation written bySusan Sontag about a Jeff Wall photograph. Sontag goes in depth and interprets every aspect of the photo to analyze it and understand more about the intention of the photograph. 

3. In your own words, how does Barrett define interpretation?

Analyzing a photograph to grasp the sense of what the photo conveys to the individual. Everyone's interpretation will differ because of different life experiences, therefore one’s interpretation of a photograph is of value. 

4. According to Barrett, why is interpretation important in criticism of photographs? 

Interpretation is important in criticism of photographs because they offer a new language to the photograph going beyond description. They form interesting relationships and meanings about the photograph, which generates conversation about that said photograph.    

5. In Chapter 3 Barrett gives examples of various interpretations from different “interpretive perspectives” and “interpretive strategies” - choose one that stood out, surprised you, or interested you in some way and discuss why.

Intentionalist interpretation stood out to me because it is interesting to get a perspective from the maker of the photograph. If people did not know the artist’s intentions about the piece their interpretations are not invalid, however the artist may not have articulated enough in the photography for an audience to understand the work.    

6. In your own words, what is/are the main point(s) the author is trying to make in the section “‘Right’ Interpretations”?

No interpretation is considered wrong or incorrect, however some interpretations may be more articulated and detailed than others. Other interpretations offer new perspectives about a photograph, and they also are no “incorrect” interpretations.   

7. In your own words, what is/are the main point(s) the author is trying to make in the section “Interpretations and the Artist’s Intent”?

 Sometimes the artist doesn’t even know the true intention about his/her photograph. Also, the artist's intentions can be interpreted. When an artist shares their intentions, the audience’s interpretations can vary or stay the same.  

8. Write about two other key points that you learned from this week’s reading.

One key point in the reading is interpretations and feelings. Interpretations and feelings are what you feel after/when you look at a photograph. Not holding back feelings about the photograph helps to learn what the artist’s intentions was when making the piece. Another key point is interpret, meaning, and personal significance. The meaning of a photograph is more subjective than the significance. The significance of a photograph is how the photograph affects individuals.  

9. Summarize - what is the author’s conclusion? 

Interpretations need to articulate some sort of knowledge to be considered “correct” interpretations. Analyzing and interpreting photographs in an organized manner enables others converse about photographs and get others talking more about photographs. 

Assignment 3: Depth of Field

ISO: 100, 70mm, f/4.5, SS: 1/30

ISO: 2,000, 70mm, f/22, SS: 1/60

Assignment 2: Shutter Speed & Motion

Slow Shutter  

SS: 1/25 

f/20
ISO: 100

Fast Shutter

SS: 1/250

f/18

ISO: 100

Reading Assessment 1: Ch 2 Barrett

Barrett Chapter 2: Describing Photogrpahs

1. What is the author’s thesis?- The author’s thesis is to inform others how to critically think/talk about photographs. This reading helps to understand how a photograph is analyzed by critics, and how each deconstruction of a photograph is never identical to one another.  
   
   
2. What examples does he use to support the thesis? Barrett uses the examples of description, technical terms of photography, subject, interpretation, and evaluation to express different ways to view a photograph. He also uses examples from other critics analyzing different photographs to get the sense of how a photograph is deconstructed.  
   
   
3. In your own words, how does Barrett define: 
1. Description - Barrett defines description as answering the questions of what is in the photo, as well as who made the piece and at what point of time was the piece taken. Description states the facts of the piece and can be proven to be true or false. Critics find descriptive information by seeing the work and also finding out when, where, and who made the piece.
2. Subject and Subject Matter- Subject matter and matter do not have the same definition. Subject matter is the primary object(s) being photographed to create the subject. The subject of a photograph is the interpretation of what the photographer is trying to convey.  
3. Form- Form is the technical aspect of a photograph and how the photo is constructed visually. Form is not subjective and pretty straight forward when looking at the same photograph. There are formal elements in which a photograph’s form is deconstructed by using dots, lines, shapes, light and value, color, texture, mass, space, and volume.
4. Medium- The medium is described as the parts of the photograph that create the photograph to what it is. The medium is what makes the photo whether that be behind the scenes or what is in the photograph. 
5. Style- Style is described as recognizable characteristics within photos. Some examples of style are the subject matter, location, shooting angles, color tone/ lighting, and many more different styles that photographers use. 
   
   
4. In your own words, summarize what Barrett means when he refers to:
1. Comparing and Contrasting- Comparing and contrasting works are what many people do in their day-today lives. Many famous photographs are compared to each other to see what resonates with people, and why people are drawn towards certain photographs. This is also why photographs are contrasted to each other to see a different perspective of what could be the same subject matter or even the same subject. 
2. Internal and External Sources of Information- Internal and external sources of information are important when critiquing a photograph. The critic can only see what is on the photograph, but using external sources to find out what made the photograph and how the photograph was taken gives much more perspective and insight about the photograph.  
   
   
5. In your own words, summarize Barrett’s position on the relationship between:
1. Description and Interpretation- Description and interpretation go hand in hand. When a critic looks a photograph they want to list as many descriptions they can. However, every person has their own individual thoughts about a photograph based on their past experiences. A description of the same photograph can be different from person to person.  
2. Description and Evaluation- Description and evaluation also go hand in hand because when a person is describing a photograph they usually choose positive or negative descriptions to persuade others about a photograph. Not every description of a photograph will be neutral, while every individual's evaluation of the photograph will be different.  
   
   
6. Write a concluding paragraph that includes:
1. Summary of at least two other points you think the author was trying to make
2. Two things you learned from this reading
3. What is the author’s conclusion?
4. Your reaction to the material

Two other points the author was trying to make was how important a description is to readers as well as the concepts for describing photographs. When a photograph is being described the reader want to be able to imagine the same image that the critic/writer is describing. Creatively and effectively describing what the photograph is will help the reader envision the work easier. The concepts for describing photographs explain how a description of a photograph can convey multiple interpretations from the critic/writer. I really enjoyed reading the material because of the easy flow throughout the chapter. The first thing I learned from the reading is that there is no correct or incorrect way to analyze a photograph. The second thing I learned from the reading is how important the description of a photograph is to readers. The author’s conclusion is that photographs can be viewed/critiqued in numerous ways, and a description is a catalyst for interpretations, information, criticism, and evaluations.  

Assignment 1 Pt. 1 Bracketing

Bracketing is a technique of taking three shots of the same subject using the different camera settings.  One photo should be under exposed, the second photo should be over exposed, and the third photo is right in the middle of under and over exposed.

On each photo I manipulated the aperture setting to get the meter at 0, -1, and +1.

SS: 500
F10
ISO: 100
Meter: 0

SS: 500
F7.1
ISO: 100
Meter: 100

SS: 500
F14
ISO: 100
Meter: -1

Assignment 1 Pt. 2: Inspiration Images

Photographer: Bryant Eslava

Title: Sun rises 

Model: Alexis Ren

Date: April 7th, 2018

I found this picture from Instagram. I love looking at photos of places I would want to visit, and I came across this photo. The lighting and the composition are of my favorite aspects about this photo. The photographer, Bryant Eslava, is a rising fashion/lifestyle photographer with a huge following through social media, with over four million followers on Instagram.

 

Photographer: Luke Fontana 

Title: Liza Koshy in LA

Model: Liza Koshy

Date: June 30th, 2019 

This photo is from Instagram. I have been dabbling with headshots and was looking for inspiration and I found this photographer, Luke Fontana. I love the quality of everyone of his portrait/headshot photos particularly this photo. Fontana is a LA and Brooklyn based photographer who's photos have been featured in Vanity Fair, People, Forbes, NY Times and much more.  

  

Photographer: Danel Photography

Title: Mia

Dancer: Mia Shindle 

Date: February 15th, 2019  

This photo is from Instagram. Being a dancer I want to dive more into dance photography and explore how to capture dancers moving at a fast pace. I really enjoy the lighting, and the shape the dancer and photographer created.

The photographer Danel, is a NYC based fashion and dance photographer.