Table 4.2 Analyzing Photographs Guidelines for reading photographs actively and critically

Table 4.2 Analyzing Photographs

Guidelines for reading photographs actively and critically

1. Preview the visual. What is its main subject? What did you notice first, and how did it affect you?

2. Study the visual as a whole, and then examine its parts. What is its focal point? What details appear in the foreground and the background? (If you are a verbal learner, translating the photo into words may be helpful.) Is it a close-up or a distance shot? (Close-ups may reveal emotions; distance shots provide more context.)

3. Read the caption and any accompanying text, consider the context, and make connections. What information about time, place, or subject is provided? What does the author want to emphasize? How does the photo relate to the ideas presented in the surrounding text? What happened before or after the photo was taken? Is any other context provided?

4. Determine the author’s purpose and intended message. Is the purpose to inform, amuse, shock, persuade, or some combination of these or other motives? Is the photo intended to elicit a powerful reaction from viewers or to provide information?