Everyone has a different perspective.

There are many different things to consider in regard to looking at photographs. Here are some:

• There are formal characteristics to look for — composition, light and gesture, as well as technical aspects such as how it was made.
• Viewers could think about the historical moment in which the photo was made, or who took the photo.
• Photographs should be considered in terms of their context — with other images, such as in a collection, in an exhibit or in an album. Is it a "one off," or is it part of a larger story?  What’s being said about it?
• Where it's seen may flavor our interpretation — is it in a museum or in an advertisement?
• Photographs can change meanings for different people in different ways, over time and cultures.
• The meaning of a photograph can be interpreted and utilized in ways that the photographer never intended or imagined.
• They can represent various forms of reality.
• The viewer can think about how it relates to them, or if it’s aesthetically of interest.

It’s also relevant to consider the source, context and perspective of the viewer, who may concentrate a little more on areas that help define who they are:

• A photographer looking at a photograph may concentrate a little more on content, composition, light and technical aspects.
• The photographer who took the photo may be later influenced by the photo’s backstory or what happened as a result of the photo.
• A photo curator may have extra concern regarding its historical context, its place in their collection, its condition and its creator.
• A collector may look at how it fits into their collection and how it moves them, as well as its value.
• A casual viewer may think about how it moves and relates to them, and if it’s aesthetically of interest.
• A scientist or historian may find that it illustrates an area of professional interest.

After watching this video, think about how you can explore your own photographs. Think about looking for clues and stories to interpret those old photos — how they may have influenced how your life was formed and how you can utilize that information.

Brigitte Carnochan - Imagining Then

About the Speaker: 

Brigitte Carnochan is a well-respected fine art photographer and an articulate educator, currently teaching at Stanford University. She shares her uniquely personal story in words and memories through a complicated and collaged tapestry of historically relevant Platinum Palladium photographs. Acting as much of a historian as an artist, Brigitte takes the tattered odds and ends of old photographs and documents and joins them together to create a new, fuller narrative of her family history.   

Brigitte was born in Germany during the Second World War. Her parents separated when she was three. While fighting for Nazi Germany, her father was captured by American troops and remained estranged from her until 1976. Shortly after the war, she and her mother immigrated to the US to begin a new life. When Brigitte was 35, her father finally made contact with her. After reconnecting to her birth father, she spent the next 10 years trying to interpret what she learned. The resultant photo collages show how she has bravely and beautifully gone back into her complicated past in order to explore and interpret it.

Click here to read more about Brigitte Carnochan

What you will hear: 

In these videos, she shares some of the personal history that she explores in her art. Examine how this helped her process this family history and how it influenced her life.

What you're watching:

In this video, Ken Light shares a story that he heard from acclaimed photographer Richard Avedon and his father's photographs from childhood. He describes how the photographs depict Avedon's family with a slightly bent truth, creating a story to the images that wasn't necessarily true. How do these bends of truth change the way that we look at images? We will be discussing this topic with more depth in both the Ethics and Critical Thinking sections, seeing how truth and manipulation in photographs can have dramatic effects.

Why it's important:

The stories behind photographs may not be as clear as they seem. There is a story behind every photograph, but those events may not be the simple truths that you may think. 

How you can use this:

Applying visual literacy in how you look at images will help you evaluate and understand the things you're seeing. Whether its a staged event or a misrepresentation of an event or scene, there are numerous ways that photographs may not be telling the truth. Ranging from news agencies distributing altered wartime photos, to advertisements altering the figures of their models, photographs often skew the "truth" of what we're seeing. Look closely, you'll be surprised by the details. If something doesn't look right, ask questions. 

Herman Leonard, Photographer

"It's only in retrospect that I realize the privileges that I had in following this career of photography. That camera is 'open sesame.'"