Photo 1B Questions for interpretation HOME || 1B assignment directory

 

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.