Visual Journal Essay

Visual Journal Essay

         Throughout this whole experience of completing this visual journal, it has become evident to me that there is a distinction between looking and seeing. Looking is an act of choice, and by looking, one is able to become influenced and connect with what they are looking at. Opposed to seeing, which is a physical response to light. There are many factors to consider when looking at a photo. These factors are important to take into consideration when discussing the photo to prove that one was actually looking at the photo and not just seeing it. I believe an issue that people have when viewing a photo is that that are looking at it as a whole and not in parts, just as Gestalt’s theory suggests. Looking at a photo in parts can help a person determine important aspects of the photo that give it more meaning than they originally thought. At the beginning of the journal it was difficult to find the perfect photo to discuss for the assignment, –because I too was a victim of gestalt’s theory -   however, as I was reaching the final entry, I came to a realization that it is not about being able find the perfect photo, it is about being able to use my knowledge and themes discussed in class to evaluate the photo properly. When interpreting a photo, one uses semiotics to understand its signification. Semiotics is a theory of signs that is concerned with how images are vehicles for meaning. With the help of the signifier – the image – and the signified – the concepts evoked by that image- a sign is created. Using this method is something that every mind goes through when trying to evaluate and understand an image. My ability to use semiotics while analyzing a photo improved as the journal went on. With this being said, using my first and final entry I will discuss my experience completing this journal, and how the way I look at photos has changed immensely with the support of themes learned throughout Visual Communications.
        Looking at the first and final journal entries, it will become evident that throughout the assignment my ability to discuss and analyze photos improved. I believe that showing the extreme of my first entry to my last one will prove I have truly grasped the understanding of what it means to look at a picture rather than just see a picture. As I have previously stated, when first beginning the journal I was having a difficult time selecting the perfect picture that would fit the assignment, and that reflected in my work. As the final assignment came around, I believe that I did a solid job in choosing an image. Because my understanding of looking at images has grown over the course of the journal, it was easy for me to choose a photo and examine it, whether it was with or without a caption or even cropped. I wanted to choose to discuss the first and final entries because I had such a different experience in choosing and completing these two assignments. In doing so, the transition from one entry to the other will be distinguished.
           When first viewing the picture of Prince Charles in the middle of the natural disaster, I did not have a hard time reflecting and analyzing on the captioned imaged. However, just like anticipated, it was difficult for me to connect to the uncaptioned and cropped photo. When it came to discussing the final picture of the boy standing up for gay rights, it became less of a struggle for me to discuss the photo in all three stages. By this time in the assignment, I was able to better connect with photos and view them in a way that most people would not. By looking at both entries, it is evident that my knowledge on viewing images has developed. By using themes that were learned throughout the class it is clear that I have obtained a good understanding of how to look at images, and this is why I have chosen to discuss the first and final entry.
         When I chose the picture of Prince Charles in the middle of a natural disaster, I believed that the photo would be simple to discuss when cropped or when I took the caption out, which was part of my reasoning for choosing the image. However, my main reason for choosing to discuss this photo was because it inspired me and I connected to it. When analyzing and discussing a photo, that photo must mean something to you -or have an effect on you- in order for you to be able to give constructive feedback and opinions on it.
           An interesting feature of the photo that caught my eye is the blurred out background. The blurred background brings a dominant focus on the main subject of the photo. With all the emphasis being on the people in the boat, this gives one the chance to observe their emotions and what they are doing. The central theme that I discussed throughout my analysis of the captioned image revolved around humanity. When first learning about this photo and analyzing it, it hit me that Prince Charles is doing a magnificent thing. Prince Charles gained much respect from me from this photo, and seeing him doing something for the good of the people in need inspired me. One can truly see the distress on his face which shows that he is concerned for the people who were affected by the natural disaster. For this reasoning, it was easy for me to take a photo that portrayed humanity -in a world that I feel lacks it- and discuss my take on it. However, with that being said I feel that I paid too much attention on sharing my opinion on the photo rather than that actual photo itself. Due to my lack of grasping onto the details of the photo and looking past my take on it, I was unable to further discuss the photo after the caption was removed and after it was cropped. I learned that this happened because I was looking at the photo as a whole rather than in parts. Throughout the first assessment, I was not focussing on themes learned throughout the course, with resulted in a lack of words and creativity.
           When I chose the last photo of the boys standing up for gay rights, I chose it because the photo stood out to me. When first looking at the photo I thought that it had some interesting aspects to it that could be viewed in numerous amounts of ways. There was a lot to work with using this particular photo, such things included the main subject, the people off to the side, and the environment in which the photo was taken. I knew right away that I would have a strong opinion on the photo which would give me a great deal to discuss throughout the assignment. Having a strong opinion on the photo helped to strengthen my connection to the photo. This benefited me because it caused me to pay attention to all the details of it.
           Having friends that are homosexual is part what triggered my strong opinion on the photo. My view on the importance of freedom of choice is the second thing that made this photo an easy choice.  I have always believed that everyone is a unique individual and they have the power and freedom to express their individuality. However, they should be able to express it without being judged. Every person has unique characteristics about themselves and although homosexuality may not be considered the ‘norm’, people who choose that path and who choose to stand up for their rights to that path should be viewed as courageous and inspiring. Homosexuality does not make anybody less of a person and every person deserves to live their lives according to what makes them happiest. Seeing the emotion on the main subjects face, and seeing that he is very confident in where he stands, shows the strength of this young man and makes the photo inspiring.
           After getting past the main subject and what he is standing up for, I focussed on the people that are standing to the side of him. Looking at the facial expressions on their faces -and their body language- was an interesting feature that added to the photo. These aspects of the photo could be taken in many different ways, leaving it up to my judgement to decide what I believe the people in this photo are thinking and feeling regarding the main subject’s decision to stand up against the DRC. Working with the other people in the photo allowed me to get a different perspective of the photo.
           The environment that the photo was taken in was also something that caught my eye even before reading the caption. I have always found a particular interest in helping people who live in developing countries, and when I saw the beaten up house in the background, I took an interest in learning what this picture represented and what story it was telling.
           Having such an interest and strong opinion towards the details of the photo, and what it represents, are the reasons that I have chosen to use it in my visual journal. Unlike with the first photo I picked, I was able to communicate my knowledge on the photo in all three stages - captioned, uncaptioned and cropped. Using themes from the class I was able to grasp a good understanding of the photo and express my thoughts, ideas and opinions on it.
           Throughout the process of working on my journal, I used themes and supporting evidence from the textbook and course lectures. This enhanced my analyses on the images and proved that the way I look at images has changed from the beginning to the end of the journal. Within the journal, various methods and terms were used in order to help break down what the photos display. For the first journal entry, I did not use as many terms as I could have while discussing the photo. I did not have a strong understanding of how the image should be looked at and what I should be focusing on. However, when it got to the final entry, I was able to input more terminology and talk about the photo in more depth.
           As stated, I didn’t use many terms or themes while discussing the first photo of Prince Charles in the boat. Representation is a theme that was used throughout the whole journal. Representation refers to the use of the image to create meaning about the world around us. I believe that through my explanation of how the first photo demonstrates humanity, I did an excellent job is sharing the representation of this photo. The only other thing that I used as a theme was the actual photo itself and the professionalism of it. I did this by relating the photo to past technology and their ability to capture photos. However, I noticed that by discussing this, I did not use it to my advantage because I did not go on to discuss further detail of the photo and what it is displaying. When I removed the caption of this photo – or any photo for that matter – the term perspective came up a lot. According to Berger, perspective changes things and puts the onus of the image on the viewer. Having no caption on a photo gives people different perspectives on it because nobody can be fully sure of the reality behind the photo. It is the viewer’s responsibility to give the photo meaning and to determine what they are looking at. Someone’s perspective of a photo can be a result of a number of things, which will be further discussed when looking at my supportive evidence for the final photo.
          With the final photo of the journal – the one of the young man standing up for gay rights- I feel that I used many more terms and themes to help support my understanding of how to look at images. The first thing that I recognized about this photo is that it is classified as scopophilia. It is very important to determine this about a photo. When a photo can be classified as scopophilia, this means that it gives the viewers a sense of pleasure and the people in the photo get pleasure in being looked at. By knowing this, you are able to go on to observe other details of the photo, such as its representation. In my analysis, I went on to discuss how the young man is the photo represents someone who is courageous and determined to stand up for his rights. This led to the theme of semiotics. As mentioned earlier, semiotics deals with signs and how they give meaning. There are two parts to semiotics which are known as denotative and connotative. Denotative refers to the literal meaning, whereas connotative refers to the social, cultural and historical meaning of something. Taking these two types of meanings into consideration is important because how one views an object and its meaning will change their perspective on the photo. The final theme that I used to help support my understanding of how to view images is taste and aesthetics. Taste and aesthetics is another aspect that will determine one’s perspective on the photo. Aesthetics emphasizes the beauty of the image that is brought through the values of the work. Taste refers to how one feels about the image due to experiences relating to one’s class, cultural background, and education. Using my own taste and aesthetics I was able to view the photo and share my perspective on it.
           Through the use of my first and final photo analyses in my visual journal, I was able to prove that over the course of working on the journal my knowledge and understanding of looking at photos has improved immensely. It has become evident to me that there is a sufficient difference between looking and seeing. I used themes that were learned throughout the course of the semester – such as perspective, semiotics, taste, etc. – to show that I am able to apply what I have learned to the work. Looking at images is something that people do every day, but now with my gained knowledge I have a whole new perspective and outlook on the way photos should be viewed. This gives me an advantage and will allow me to have a deeper connection with the photo and photographer. An important lesson I learned through the assignment is that photographers have a bias when it comes to taking photos, and they are able to manipulate the viewers by only capturing what they want their audience to see, eliminating other aspects. With this expanding knowledge, I am able to look beyond photos and capture a deeper meaning to what is in front of me.