Friday, April 13, 2012
Who Owns the Meaning of a Photograph?
Who really owns the true meaning of a photograph? There is no "true meaning" to a photograph. Meanings to photos are held by all who are involved, photographer, subject, and audience. Every photo is open to interpretation. Photos are ambiguous as Wing Young Huie says. Ambiguous means something has more than one meaning and is open to interpretation. That is what i believe too. How you interpret a photo has to do with your background, your views and what you see when you look beyond just the surface of the picture. "When I am reading a photograph, am I reading a story?" asked Wing Young Huie. And i believe you are, you have to read the photo like a story to gather your own interpretation and meanings of the photo. Whether you are the photographer, the subject, or just the person that sees the photo in a gallery. The meaning of a photo is what each individual makes it out to be.
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Thanks for sharing your reflections and connections between some of Wing's ideas. How often do you think you really stop and read a photograph like story? Does the photograph have to be considered "art" to make you look more deeply? Or do you try to find multiple meanings of images in everyday life?
ReplyDelete"How you interpret a photo has to do with your background, your views and what you see when you look beyond just the surface of the picture." I strongly agree with this. I think your experiences play a strong role in your interpretation of a photo and because everyone has different experiences and background, everyone's interpretation is different. Great point!
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