Principles
for describing photographs
From
Criticizing
photographs, an introduction to understanding images by
Terry Barrett
I recommend
strongly that you purchase this book and read it until it makes sense.
* Description
is criticism
*
Descriptions are factual
*
Description can be a data-gathering process or a data-reporting process.
* When
gathering descriptive data, everything matters.
* Facts
about artist, title, medium, size, date, and place or type of presentation are
meaningful descriptive data.
* Formal
analysis is a combination of description and interpretation.
*
Description, interpretation, and evaluation are interdependent activities.
* Reported
descriptions should be based on relevancy to interpretive, evaluative, and
theoretical ideas.
*
Description is especially dependent on interpretation.
*
Interpretations and descriptions are meaningfully circular.
*
Descriptions should offer information drawn from within and outside of the
photograph.
*
Descriptions can be (productively or nonproductively) infinite: Relevancy is
the determining factor.