“Ta thấy được gì trong ảnh, và điều gì ảnh muốn cho ta thấy?”
That’s a question that many of us have had when standing in front of a photograph. Nowaday, with the deveopment of photography, the way to read a photograph is more different than reading a painting than ever. Hoa Ta would like to present a simple guide to read a photography, reference from The Library of Congress (USA), which would help viewers to understand a photograph better.
Reading a photograph including 5 steps:
1. What do you see?
Look closely and describe what you see.
– Subjects
– Details
– Framing
– Time
– Angles
Don’t make assumptions, verify each piece of information that came with the photograph
Ask how the photographer is shaping the scene.
2. Who took the photo?
- Looking for more information about the author.
- Reading moreabout the photographer’s own publications, interview, articles on magazine and newspapers
Learn more about the author’s photography career and the changes in practice over time and places, in association with important events to build a framework for when different kinds of photos were taken.
3. How the Photo was made:
- Identify the characteristics of the photographic objects–, for example, the size. What kind of time and money were invested? What influence did a camera or film technology have on the final image?
- Consider the photographic technology
- Consider the photographer’s time and income as well as the client’s needs. (If applicable)
- Think about what happens after the photograph is taken.? What can or did the photographer do to the image when developing it, cropping it, adding or changing colours? How has it been manipulated?
If there are the target audiences
Ask yourself who the audience for the photos is and how their expectations of what makes a good photo might have influenced a photographer’s work.
4. Explore the Photographer’s Era
- Learn about the photographer’s era. Read publications about the time period, including newspapers and popular periodicals.
- Think about where the photos would have been used and seen. Consider how photographs might differ if taken for clients, for publications, for lectures or for exhibits.
Consider the photo composition. Art, design, and aesthetic movements contemporary to the photographer can impact composition, colour, contrast and other visual elements.
5. Interpret Stories You Discover:
What do you feel and sense? Anything makes you think, makes you emotional? Is there any stirring, associating, memory, reaction inside?
- Search for related written information.
- Ask lots of questions–and ask for help.
The method above is just a basic one, as a good suggestion, with profound information and logical reasons, to lead you to find specific and diverse personal methods of your own.
The basic method is “the general direction to find solutions, but the real solutions lie within very person, from an independent mind and creativity of each individual”.
professor Tran Thanh Dam (1932-2015)
Read more here: https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/coll/fbj/Every_Photo_home.html
“Gray are all the theories, But green is the tree of life.” – “Faust”, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
