A photograph does not have to convey one unambiguous meaning, and it often does not need to be understood. But words are necessary if we want to say something about it. Text accompanying photographs makes the viewing experience deeper, broader and more intense, and creates a bond between the maker, viewer and communicator.
How often do you want to say something about a photograph, only to find that you cannot get beyond “beautiful”? If you are a photography teacher, editor, coach, juror, gallery owner, critic or photographer, you need a richer vocabulary to explain your plan, describe your insight and say why your choice matters.
Photographs exist within contexts by definition, and viewers are often already implicitly aware of their meanings. This does not mean that a photograph cannot be understood without further explanation. A reviewer can help both maker and viewer by explaining how context influences meaning, or by considering how a photograph might acquire meaning in a different context.
With this photobook you will learn to analyze photography in a few clear steps. The overviews in the book help you identify the subject of a photograph, unravel its visual elements, follow the maker’s strategy and discover when and how photographs are relevant to an audience.
You can use the list of one thousand words as a writing aid. You will want to memorize the nine questions about visual elements as a framework for your public discussions.
After studying this book, the fact that photographs change meaning when their context and medium change will no longer be an obstacle, but an enrichment of photography. You will notice that your audience feels more satisfied when you can interpret the image for them.
Good to know: purchasing the book also gives you free access to the web version.
Tom Meerman
Tom Meerman (Amsterdam 1959) has been photographing since 1977. His curiosity about the possibilities of photographic language led him to graduate as an autonomous visual artist in photography (Artez, Arnhem 1988). Since then, he has spoken and written about the profession as a teacher, mentor and administrator, and he is a sought-after juror and photo editor. He is also active as a photographer.
The foundations of Foto's analyseren en bespreken were laid in a series of booklets he wrote under the title Fotografie als taal, which he published from 2010 onwards. He used this method of analyzing photographs, the act of photographing and photography itself as the basis for, among other things, his teaching at AKI and the Leergang Fotoreflectie course that he developed and organized. Participants in that course were trained to become expert photography reviewers.
See also the 2nd edition of this book.
Focus op Fotografie: Foto's analyseren en bespreken — Tom Meerman
Pages: 242
Price at original publication: € 39,99
Publisher: Van Duuren Media
Language: Dutch. This article refers to the Dutch-language edition.
