This post is due by Tuesday, February 18 @ midnight for full credit.
Email late posts to rob.williamsATmadriver.com for partial credit.
Read our MEDIA@SOCIETY book, assigned chapter above.
In a SINGLE blog post below, provide for the chapter:
1. A single sentence, IYOW, that captures the chapter's THESIS (main argument).
2. THREE specific pieces of supporting documentation - ideas, concepts, stats, data - to bolster your thesis for the chapter. (Use 2 - 3 sentences for each.)
3. A single PERSONAL story of 3-4 sentences that connects the chapter directly with your own personal media experiences.
4. A SINGLE specific question you have after reading and blogging on the chapter.
Game on,
Dr. W
1.) Often photographs contain stories that span beyond the mere visual components initially recognizable in their borders, and are often altered in various forms of media in order to depict the situation within them a certain way, express a form of symbolism, or cause a specific desired reaction within the viewer.
ReplyDelete2.) - A way of further studying the meaning within a photograph is to study the semiotics that apply to it. Semiotics is the study of sign. For example, in the photo of this English and German soccer teams who played in May of 1938, one may not notice that the right arm raised at an angle above one's head is a sign of Nazism, and therefore may not be equipped to evaluate the entire photo in all of its historical meaning.
- Directional forces of movement (also called vectors) within photos also affect us. Lines within a frame can compete with our natural desire to read left to right, causing tension, or flow with the left-right momentum. Car dealers use this tactic to show either elements of speed or power pertaining to different styles of cars in their adds.
- A medium shot is used in a photograph to draw particular attention to an object or character. This is used in clothing ads and similar commercial forms in which a product is being sold that the buyer will want to see up close and directly.
3.) I've personally always loved photography, ever since I was very little. I took a photography class in high school that also taught me some techniques that companies still use today to sell their products. I definitely think that a big effect in my life has been the editing and redesigning of photographs for clothing companies. Skin becomes blemish-free and even super-skinny models' bodies are slimmed through some form of photoshop. Like most teens, for most of my life, I didn't realize how superficial these photos were, and therefore felt as if I was fat an ugly compared to these girls.
4.) Just how much of the photos we see every day are edited with the intention of making people want to consume a particular product?
1. Images serve as cultural narratives that have meaning concerning our society.
ReplyDelete2. –When viewing an image, it is important to remember that it could be photoshopped. “Part of reading images today means reading against the likely possibility that a photograph has been ‘Photoshopped,’ or digitally altered” (p. 72). Photoshop constructs a reality, so while we view an image, we must remember that its meaning Is very likely manufactured.
-The signs that we see in images have an impact on its message. “Symbolic signs are the most complex of all signs because they are determined by culture and therefore in need of a higher level of interpretation” (p. 65). Symbols and signs are a language of their own and they mean different things depending on the society they appear in. Cultures interpret signs differently so it is important that images are relevant to the targeted society.
-The composition of a photo plays a large role in how we interpret the message. “Because of our Western left-to-right orientation, our eyes tend to rest or linger on the right side of the frame, so whatever appears on the right side seems to dominate the image” (p. 60). The way the content is arranged in an image effects the way we see it; for example, the book shows an image of motorcycles with the front end of the bike facing to the left, implying how fast it can go, while another image where the car if pointed to the left leaves the viewer to believe that the car is stationary and that the image focuses on the car’s features rather than its speed.
3. I remember the first thing I noticed in England on my way from the airport was that the road signs were different. Squiggly white lines traced the roads of London and I was unfamiliar with the road signs. Even the manner in which they drove was different; I thought it was so strange that pedestrians actually waited for a car to pass before crossing the street and I even saw two people about to cross when a car beeped at them so they stopped, allowing the car to make a turn.
4. How advanced were photo editing technologies when photography was still developing?
1.) Thesis:
ReplyDeleteAn image may hold endless meanings, interpretations, and untold stories; there are several different aspects of a photo that draw us to it.
2.) 3 Pieces of Supporting Documentation:
- Composition Heading: As well as the different meanings, interpretations, and untold stories of a photo, the way a photo looks is a big draw for its audience, and the first thing that attracts us to it before we can even get to its meaning.
- Semiotics and Symbolic Meaning Heading: A photo also contains deeper elements beyond its appearance at the surface. Symbols may hint at political references, controversy, or something much lighter like double-entendre.
- Realism: Truth and Photography Heading: A startling reality behind photography is that the image we're looking at may not look anything like its true original prior to digital alterations. The model may have a larger nose, visible pores, or cellulite. Different subjects throughout the photo may not have even been there in the first place, but taken from another photo entirely.
3.) Personal Story: Using Photoshop, I've been able to take my boyfriend's skiing photos (by his request) and take out other people or a patch of dirt in the snow. Another occasion of this was with a photo he had of a rainbow from the top of a trail. He'd always been really proud of the picture, but had been wishing he didn't have the massive eyesore of a snow-making gun right in the middle of the photo. Once he found out I could take all of these things right out with Photoshop in a matter of seconds, he couldn't have been more excited and was never quicker to post something to Facebook for all to see.
4.) Question: How could photographers retouch in the 1800's (the Dickens photo)?
1) Both the choices made by creators of images and the context/symbolism behind those images tell the viewer a story about the events the image depicts as well as about the society’s culture and values.
ReplyDelete2) – The use of Photoshop and other image editing programs raises the issue of what a truthful image is. Digitally altering an image constructs a false reality that in the case of advertising can be impossible to achieve. Even “an unaltered photograph…is no proof of a particular reality” because any image is going to reflect the photographer’s perspective on a situation, which may not be how everyone would see the situation (74).
-- Elements of composition, including color, form and movement are used in images to enhance the projection of ideas. Often these components are only unconsciously recognized, but they have a profound effect on the way that we come to understand what message the image is trying to communicate to us. We may be excited by an ad, but not realize why at first; but just as “advertisers are…keenly aware of red’s power,” a closer examination may reveal that it was the color used that made the ad stand out (56).
--Symbols allow us to make a connection between the power of an image and our ability as the viewer to interpret meaning from any symbols included in the image. To be understood and have meaning, some symbols require a cultural context, such as the image of the British soccer team in 1938 used at the beginning of the chapter. Without knowledge of what the raised arm was meant to convey, the political situation in Germany and the British team’s response to it, the image cannot be fully understood and evaluated by the viewer.
3) As I’ve gotten older and had more exposure to media and criticisms of it, I find myself noticing how unrealistic many ads and movies are. When I was younger I think I accepted a lot more of what these forms of media were saying at face value. A greater understanding of our culture has helped me recognize both what advertisers are trying to achieve by manipulating images and how easy it is to be drawn in by the images and their messages.
4) Will the recent commitments by some companies such as Aerie to not retouch images of their models become the dominant method, or will there always be an element of uncertainty about the truth of the images we see?
1) Every picture tells a story, but there are also many stories in the photo that aren't being told; to really read the image, we must consider the techniques used to achieve the desired affect, but also the misrepresentation or manipulation that could be at play.
ReplyDelete2) Color, form, line, and movement are all aspects of the composition of an image. Understanding how to use and perceive these aspects means knowing how to structure images for effective communication. Both the viewer of the image and the maker of the image should understand just how powerful these four different elements are.
After breaking down the specific elements of the image, one can read deeply into the symbols in the image and the independant meaning that each one may convey. When reading into this symbolism, though, we are always influenced by the way our culture has shaped us. Because of this, there are so many different interpretations that could be had from a single image.
Another thing to consider when looking at an image is the idea that people have been intentionally misrepresenting and manipulating photos for ages. This is controversial; as something that was once supposed to be a representation of a reality, how are we to trust images now that the majority of them have been altered in some way? One must consider the intent of the image-giver, whether he/she has the intention of misleading, or not.
3) The section in this chapter that discussed truth in photography was important and interesting to me because this is the topic that I'm doing my project on. As someone who once aspired to be a photojournalist, it's kind of alarming how little trust there is in this kind of profession now, because of so many instances where people alter and manipulate photos and end up with an image drastically different than reality. I also learned that, contrary to my thoughts, photo manipulation is not something that has just came about from the abundance and convenience of technology; it has been happening since the 1800's (though, we didn't call it "Photoshopping" back then).
4) Will there have to be (or is there already?) a law passed that prohibits photojournalists from manipulating photos to a certain extent?
1. In order to fully understand an image's significance, one must consider the composition, the semiotics and any alterations that may have been made.
ReplyDelete2.
• Different elements of an image can shape the viewer's emotional response. The color red, for instance can draw attention to certain aspects of a photograph as well as "agitate or provoke" (56). Different forms within the image can also affect meaning as different shapes can be used to direct attention to certain parts of the image. A triangle, for instance, is a dramatic shape that can highlight and dramatize certain components of a photograph (58).
• Understanding symbols in images are important in understanding the images themselves. It is thus important to recognize the cultural meanings in a photo. For instance, an image of a group of men holding hands would be interpreted as a symbol of strength and teamwork in Japan while in the United States a person "might read homophobic meanings into the image" (66).
• It is important to recognize that some images are altered and do not represent the truth. Software like Photoshop allows a photographer to edit and retouch photographs thus offering the viewer an altered reality. For instance, a person might be removed from a photograph (72) which gives a false impression of an event.
3. When I was the news editor of my high school paper, we took truth in photography very seriously. For the final issue of my junior year, one of my fellow editors wrote an article about the school's decision get rid of some library books to make room for more computers in the library. We found out that books that no one wanted to take were thrown out in the dumpster. We thought that a pile of books in a dumpster would be a great photo for the lead article, but the reality was less dramatic than we expected. However, we used the photo as it was because telling the true story was more important to us.
4. What was the process for altering photos like before Photoshop?
1 Images are more complex than we assume; they tell a narrative, which has a larger, more in depth meaning prevalent to society.
ReplyDelete2. - Composition is the well-thought out process of placement within a frame. It is composed by how we decide to arrange an image based on how we want our viewers to analyze or interpret what we're trying to portray. Color, for instance has a major affect over an image because "humans are physiologically programmed to respond to color and we respond to certain colors in particular ways" (56). Advertisers use color as a manipulation tactic, to pull the viewer in thinking "this is important" (56).
-- Symbols help us to think beyond the image itself and contemplate the deeper meaning. In order to uncover the symbolic meaning of media images we need to make cultural connections. “The advertisements that represent this culture have also become part of the culture itself” (67).
-- "Digital manipulation in advertising plays into the most egregious aspects of our consumer culture: Products marketed under false pretenses" (73). Thus by "fixing" the problem in photos is essentially fluctuating what was real and natural into something that is unrealistic and fake. By photoshopping images that sell products we as are manipulated into believing that we need that product in order to achieve the perfect silky hair that the girl in the Pantene ad is flaunting.
3. It is because of years flipping through magazines and seeing billboards that we are altering our own photos. Especially in my younger siblings generation, kids will edit photos of themselves in hopes to achieve the “perfect” profile picture as well as receive countless number of likes. Media has instilled in our minds the desire to achieve perfection, whether through editing an image or consuming products in order to become "perfect" ourselves.
4. Will “adjusting the truth” in media images remain the case for the future or will more and more companies such as, Dove, step up and use “real” images?
1.While an image can be worth a thousand words, it is also important to look beyond the words and to analyze other aspects such as color, form, movement as well as the actual truth which is often neglected.
ReplyDelete2.• An image can be very deceiving and this point is brought up when discussing the importance of Form. It states that when reporters or talk show hosts are giving interviews, it is suggested that they stand uncomfortably close to the interviewee in order to make the audience more comfortable. I found this interesting because next to the image where the pair is standing uncomfortably close, there is an image of another pair who seemed very distant as they were probably uncomfortable with each other and this image actually tells the truth (57).
• In our everyday lives we come across hundreds of shapes and colors like the stop sign or the ‘No Litter’ sign. The shapes and colors of these signs were not randomly selected because they were pretty but because they can have different effects on humans such as the feeling of being alarmed or the ability to point towards a particular direction (56).
• When detecting the actual truth of an image, we must also consider the possibility that the image could have been manipulated to sway our opinions. In the example of the English soccer team giving the infamous Nazi salute, one must consider if this image was taken from another source or simply added to a different background (70).
3. • In the past I’ve fallen victim to magazine ads as well as commercials that promote beauty and skin care products. I always believed that the product had to have worked or else the company wouldn’t show before and after pictures .However, I eventually begin to realize that those photos could have been altered using programs like Photoshop to make the image seem better or worse than it really is.
4.Why would certain companies risk their reputation by showing fake before and after pictures of products that do not actually work? Aren't they afraid of negative customer reviews?
1. There is more to an image than what is being shown, there is a story that has meaning and some images even have been altered to show a different meaning.
ReplyDelete2. a. Color is used throughout photography to provoke an emotional response. For example, red usually agitates people where green soothes people. Though red is used a lot because it draws attention to itself.
b. Images can so easily be altered that it is hard to trust images. Lots of images are manipulated and changed so that it is more appealing to the public eye. Today, people have an idea as to what people are supposed to look like even if that is not realistic because the images have been altered.
c. The shape of the image is crucial. Not only the actual shape of the image but the colors and things in the image that make an image work. The rule of thirds help get a balanced image with correct proportions.
3. Two of my friends are currently taking photojournalism and for their first project, they had to take pictures of ten people they did not know and that did not attend St. Michael's College. Part of the assignment was making sure the lighting was good, they were not allowed to use a flash. This ended up being a very difficult project because it was hard to make the image look perfect, this is because they weren't allowed to photoshop the photos either. We are so accustomed to seeing pictures that are photoshopped that images we take look average compared to what they could look like.
4. When asked what my favorite social media platform is I usually say Instagram because I can see what my friends are up to without having to read all about it, will there be a time when we only communicate through image?
1. There is more to every image than meets the eye and images can be altered in many ways. Every image contains certain compositions, semiotics, and symbolic meanings.
ReplyDelete2. Every object is placed in the frame of a picture with specific shapes, colors, forms and lines. “A long shot (sometimes called establishing shot”) establishes place and context; a medium shot draws attention to a particular character or object; and a close up describes that character/object in terms of emotions, actions, or other details” (Page 61).
Whether it’s obvious or not, signs in an image give it a meaning beyond itself. Semiotics is “the study of signs” (64) and it is used to break down the image into its fundamental self.
To make sense of an image driven culture we turn to visual literacy. “Every choice a creator makes in terms of framing, content placement, manipulation (whether ethical or unethical), and textual mooring affects the way the image operates in our social discourse” (76).
3. It’s incredible the individual meaning and influence that a simple photo can have. I took a photography class in high school and created an image of my friend wakeboarding near Niagara Falls. He was an amazing wakeboarder and the image turned out to look awesome. A year later, he broke his tibia, came down with compartment syndrome and almost lost his leg. He hasn’t been able to wakeboard since and the photo has been such an inspiration to him and his family.
4. What was the primary way of altering photos before modern technology?
1. Images are narratives that hold untold stories, meanings, and symbolism through techniques used by its creator
ReplyDelete2. Supporting Documentation
• Composition is the creativity behind placing objects/color/digital software within a certain frame. “While it interests and delights the eye, good composition is an important organizing force when used to dramatize relativity and relationship, and to project ideas. Superior composition not only makes the subject (content) accessible, it heightens the viewers’ perceptions and stimulates his or her imaginative involvement, like language from he pen of a good poet” (Michael Rabiger on composition)
• Semiotics is the study of signs. “It breaks signs down into their fundamental parts (word, image, gesture, or sensory cue and the concept) and asks important questions about how something comes to stand for something else, and how a sign is connected to the object to which it refers” (64)
• To successfully read an image we need to understand 4 major aspects of images: The compositional force, the various signs, the possibilities of posing/digital manipulation, and the context in which the images were produced
3. In my photography class our teacher assigned us to take a certain shots and then write a piece about our chosen photo from our film. For whichever photo we used for each different shot we had to explain why we decided on that specific shot, what does the photo narrative tell, what does the certain type of shot enhance within the photo narrative and then pair it with a different type of shot. One of my photos was of wide frame shot of a view near my house. The wide frame allowed for the entire background and scenery to be in focus. My second was a close up of a tree in that same scene. In the close up, the one tree branch was in focus while the background was blurred. Both photos were of the same scene, but with the different angles and different types of shots, they began to have different narratives that went along with them.
4. Many more companies are using “real” photo campaigns, but at the same time photoshop and photo editing is becoming more and more advanced over the years. Will society soon get so overwhelmed by the use of photo editing that it will become the norm or will society keep pressuring companies to continue with more “real” image campaigns?
1) Images can contain several different meanings or open up multiple opportunities to interpret them in different ways.
ReplyDelete2) Composition: “When taking a photographic or video image, we arrange external objects within the dimensions of a view finder, panning left and right r crouching down to get the desired perspective.”(55) Composition is extremely important for photographer to create the image they want, without having to digitally alter it significantly or in some cases beyond recognition. Symbolic Meaning: “Symbolic signs are the most complex of all signs because they are determined by culture and therefore in need of a higher level of interpretation.”(65) I think that symbolism within photography is arguably the biggest factor in people interpreting photos in different ways. Realism: Truth in Photography, “To fully read an image, then we need to understand the context in which the image was produced,”(74) I thought it was really important that this quote was included in this section of the chapter, because often with all of the alterations done to photos we forget to put that into perspective and see it for what it is.
3) When I was 14 I worked at a local photo studio working on Photoshop for various shoots. Before I worked there I don’t think I ever realized what drastic changes photos went through before everyone saw them and ever since then I’ve looked at photography and approached photography in a very different way. Even though I have fun playing around of things like Photoshop, I always feel better about my photos when they are just like I took them and not so altered.
4) Is there some sort of regulation or laws as to how much photos (especially advertisements) can be altered to avoid false representation?
Thesis: There is more to a photograph than what simply lies on the surface, every image has depth and stories behind them.
ReplyDelete1. Things such as color, position in the photo, and line cause us to feel a certain way about what we are seeing. I find the idea of color very interesting because we begin to associate certain colors with different emotions or feelings, so looking at a photo we can either feel more pleasure or dislike just based off of what colors they have chosen to use. "We consciously and unconsciously respond to color every day, and we are constantly making aesthetic choices related to color." (55)
2. Images can be misrepresented and manipulated from their original state into something completely different. With all the new technology today, it seems as if every photo is being changed and altered from its original state to be enhanced and modified. The book mentions a photo of the Nazi salute of the English soccer team. There are two different photos, one of the team just on a regular field, and one in the stadium. Which one is actually the real one?
3. There is also the use of symbolic storytelling."Symbolic signs can be highly charged and emotional simply because they reflect or comment upon culture. As such, they can be a very powerful means of storytelling, bringing a deeper meaning to an image as viewers are asked to make cultural connections to understand the symbolism." (66) Similar to color, these symbols can bring forward emotions or feelings just by associating the symbol with the photo.
Personal experience: A couple years back, my brothers and I were doing our Christmas card. My mom does textile design, so she is very photoshop savvy. When looking at the photos on her computer, we found one that worked well of me and my younger brother, but my older brother wasn't smiling like he was in the other photos. Being the wiz my mom is, she took my older brothers mouth from one photo and put it onto the other one, making the photo perfect.
Question: At what point do photos lose their authenticity? When do they stop becoming photos and start becoming simply art?
1. People can interpret the meaning of images by analyzing the composition of the images, diverse signs, and context of photos.
ReplyDelete2. 1)
~Composition is an effective way to realize the deeper meaning of pictures. Forms of composition conclude color, form, shape, line and movement. Different color will convey different emotions to people. People will be concentrated on red because the structure of our eyes. Thus, many advertisers or company will use red logons or logos to get the attention of viewers.
-In order to give people comfortable visual felling, the producer will use headroom theory and rule of thirds theory to balance the place of figures of pictures.
-According to the felling of viewer, squares stand for stability, confidence, and strength but boredom; circles stand for unity, motion, and happiness; triangles stand for important points. Also, people think that rectangles are more interesting than squares.
-The direction of line and the direction of movement also have different meanings. The picture of low angle will give maximum effect to people, but the pictures of high angle will give people a negative feeling. According to the habits of reading of people, when a figure move from left to right, it stands for speed; when the figure moves from right to left, it always stands for strengths.
- The different distance from shot and subjects also will have different special meanings. A long shot focus on set up place and context. A medium shot always focus on the special character or subject. A close-up describe the specific emotions, actions and other detail of character or subjects.
2)
- People also can understand the meaning of picture by different signs. Sing also include iconic signs, index signs, and symbolic signs. Iconic sign is the easiest sign to understanding because it is always similar to the original thing. Index sign is more complicated because it just points the importance by sign but do not tell. The most complicated is symbolic signs because people understand need the background of a culture or a language.
3)
- Context of people will give people a direction to interpret picture, but the truth of direction is uncertain. Viewers are easy to misleading. Sometimes, photos modified by Photoshop will give people wrong information of pictures.
3. A star Zhao Wei is famous because of TV shows. However, her photos, post on website, magazines or other media platforms, always changed by Photoshop because she had offended media. They had stretched the waist and face. Audiences thought she was fat. Now, she knows how to deal with relationship between her and media. The photographers of media plat form will modify her photos in order to more beautiful.
5. Dose viewers real want media to modify the photos? Whether viewer prefer to the truth or the aesthetics of photos?
Media in Society Chapter 3
ReplyDeleteThesis: Photographs are parts of time standing still, so there is always an untold story because it is not in its exact context.
1) The story about George W. Bush’s picture with his middle finger up circulating without the proper context and background information really points out how a picture can easily be taken out of context. “Without proper context, one couldn’t understand the story” (75).
2) “Photographers, in fact, have been intentionally misrepresenting reality since the earliest days of photography” (70). If photographers have been playing with still images they always leave a story untold. “This 1917 photograph, for example, fooled many people who thought the fairies, which were superimposed using clever dark-room techniques, were real” (71).
3) Images taken of people who know they are being photographed are generally posed. Ronald Barth theorizes “ about the nature of the pose and how the presence of a camera—and the fact that one is aware of being photographed—affects the captures image, even if the intent is absolute realism” (69).
Personal Story: I love pictures; taking them, being in them, decorating with them; I have always loved photography. In my dorm room I decorated with lots of pictures and while looking up at them all but two are posed with my friends and I in some position clearly smiling for the picture. I realized how posed we really are in pictures, and that the Kodak campaign really works to make us happy and love the pictures we take when we pose for them. Often I like the posed pictures far more than candid ones because I can control how I look more, and from what angle the picture is taken.
Question: Is there ever really such a thing as a truly candid photograph?
There are many distinct components that make up an image, and we can understand the universal significance of an image through examining these components.
ReplyDeleteComposition is the creative activity of placing objects within a frame. No matter how we are organizing something, and whether it is a painting or a web page, we do it within designated borders, and those borders are important to viewers. Color, form, line, and movement comprise the composition aspect.
A sign is something that contains meaning beyond itself. Every single image we look at is full of signs and symbols. We can use symbolic storytelling to convey a certain feel or emotion to the viewer subtly (or, maybe not) within our images or web pages.
Photographs capture images of reality, and are "mere mirrors of the real scene at hand," (pg. 69). We can use photography to preserve the impact of an important moment and to provide a look to the past. That being said, photography can be manipulated and distorted to produce unrealistic images and interpretations.
I find photography to be very interesting. For me, there are some images that absolutely blow my mind and make me think differently about things. This chapter provided me with information on the breakdown of the images I look at everyday and it enabled me to think more critically about how I view images and media in general.
There is too often manipulation and distortion of images around us. How can we differentiate between real and distorted photography when it is coming from mainstream media?
Powerful reflections here, Digital Media colleagues.
ReplyDeleteLet's dive deeper in class.
Emma - get on the blog!
Dr. W