When reading photographs it is important to aknowledge the power of semiotics, as ultimately the visual rhetoric of an image will determine how it is read. While structuralist views offer an objective approach to deciphering imagery (subject, detail, frame, time and vantage point), post-modernist values highlight the importance of taking subjectivity into account. The Punctum refers to an image’s subjective status. The values of an image that provoke an emotional reaction are often what people will connect to when observing visual content. In conjunction with the Studium, which provides factual insight, the Punctum and Stadium can work in tandem to create a depth of meaning within a singular image or body of work. The article featured in National Geographic, addressing Steve McCurry’s Afghan Girl, highlights how the meaning of interpretation juxtaposed with presented facts can influence the viewer and subject’s response to a photograph.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2002/04/afghan-girl-revealed/
Say What?!
Yolanda Dominquez’s experiment showcasing the reaction of children as they are presented with various advertising images, offers a brilliant insight into how images are read based on subjectivity and one’s own personal knowledge of the world. It highlights how social, personal and emotional responses influence the perception of an image on a very basic level.
http://yolandadominguez.com/en/portfolio/ninos-vs-moda/
John Walker (The Camerawork Essays: Context and Meaning in Photography, 1997, pg 53) writes about the significant factors that play a part in our ability to read images:
“Ambiguity and complexity of the image is one reason for variations of interpretation. Another is the variety of contexts in which photographs are encountered.”
Frightfully bold
These adverts for IKEA use a really simple idea to convey the personality of the brand. By relying on the viewer’s existing knowledge of the brand and products for sale, the campaign appears witty and engaging. Although the imagery is heavily contrived, the execution isn’t overly complicated and the result is relatable. Very IKEA!
https://www.adsoftheworld.com/media/print/ikea_the_fearniture_collection
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