INTERPRETING PHOTOGRAPHS
Why is it important to learn how to interpret photographs?
Photographs are everywhere: in the morning newspaper, in magazines we read, in our family albums, on the cover of CDs, in advertisements, and on billboards. Without realizing it, these photographs have an enormous impact on the way we think and feel about ourselves and the world. When we learn to interpret photographs and we come to understand that they are not fact, but are instead representation, we are better able to monitor the influence they have on our perceptions.
Through the study of photography, students work on strengthening important skills:
1. They practice careful observation by looking at photographs and listing the visual details they see in the images.
2. They practice using these details to interpret the photographs.
3. And they practice drawing conclusions and making informed judgments about the work.
The critical thinking skills students develop while studying photographs will translate to other areas of learning and will serve students all of their lives.
You and your students may use the interpretive exercises provided by the Center several times throughout the year as new exhibitions are presented in our gallery, with new learning materials provided for each one. Every time your students practice looking at photographs in this systematic way, they will strengthen their decision-making skills.
What happens when we look at a work of art?
There are probably as many answers to this question as there are people looking at the artwork. Each person interprets art according to:
1. that person's observational skills
2. the experiences that person has had in life before coming in contact with the work of art
3. the mood of the person at the moment he or she observes the art
4. The amount of time they have spent looking at and thinking about other works of art in general
5. the amount of time spent actually looking at the work. For all people, however, the more time spent with the work of art, the more chance there is to affect seeing and learning.
Getting Started
The following three exercises for teaching visual interpretation focus upon photographs in this guide. We suggest that you try the activities yourself. Then, help your students to practice them.
http://www.creative photography.org
This page last updated June 29, 1999. oncenter@ccp.library.arizona.edu