Photography and Context Essay Example

Photography and Context Essay Like all visual media and art works, we rely heavily on context to understand and appreciate photographs. Without context, we risk misinterpreting what we are looking at; we may under (or over) estimate its value or misunderstand the Intentions of the photographer that produced the Image. All photographic images contain contextual information that may be immediately obvious or may require Interpretation. Context may also be provided from the situation In which a photograph Is presented or found be, printed media, a gallery, TV etc. We can look at context in three different forms: internal, original and external Internal context refers to the subject matter of the Image and what Is Immediately obvious from looking at it. For example, a close-up, still life picture of an apple on a table requires no interpretation on behalf of the viewer (assuming he or she knows what an apple is) and carries no meaning beyond what Is obvious In the photograph. But as is pointed out in Criticizing Photographs, even a more complex and emotionally involving image such as an accident involving the death of a small child aeries Its own internal context and Is largely self-explanatory providing the viewer knows something about road traffic accidents and the significance of a blanket covering a body in the street. Original context refers to information (which may or may not be known) on the background of an Image and/or the Intentions of the photographer that produced It. We will write a custom essay sample on Photography and Context specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Photography and Context specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Photography and Context specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This may require an understanding of the mindset of the photographer and familiarity with their other work for example, knowing that photography was one of several mediums in which Andy Warhol worked and that he often manipulated hotplates for artistic effect. Understanding original context in some images may also require a wider understanding of art or photography. Criticizing Photography uses the example of Sherries Olivines copies of Walker Evans photographs the concept of which would be completely lost if the viewer was not aware that they actually were copies, photographed from an exhibition catalogue. As the book points out, even the title After Walker Evans might lead you to believe the collection was created simply in deference to the great thatch photographer rather than to make a point about retrieve acts. An understanding of the conventions of photography also reveals that though Walker OFF Evans Orlando pantographs are now no longer protected Day copyright laws, Levees copies of them are an intriguing situation which is adopted as a central theme of the collection. Even factual press photographs may benefit from an understanding of the circumstances in which they were taken. Criticizing Photography uses the example of the iconic photograph taken during the Vietnam war of a group of children running along a road towards the camera. The central subject is young girl, naked and crying with her arms outstretched. Such a traumatic image could have emerged from virtually any war in the thatch. However, with the benefit of background information e, original context we learn that the children have been attacked by mistake by an American plane and that the girl has torn her own clothes off to prevent napalm burning her skin. Though such information isnt required for us to understand the horror of what is shown in the photograph, it does provide us with context which affects our interpretation of what we are seeing. External context can be derived from the situation in which photographs are viewed. An obvious example of this would be an image hung in an art gallery which we would probably be more ready to identify as art than a picture in a newspaper which we would see as factual. As Criticizing Photography points out: every photograph has an external context whether this happens intentionally or accidentally and that our appreciation of an image is colored by the situation in which we view it. This is even true of photographs appearing in similar but different media. For example, we are more likely to accept the truthfulness of an image that appears on the front page of The Times than we are on The Daily Star. Similarly. We are also more likely to accept a photograph as a genuine work of art if it is found hanging in major international gallery than we would if it was entered at a local photographic competition. Criticizing Photography uses the example of a photograph taken by Robert Doziness in a French cafe © in 1953. Because it was sold by his agent to several different organizations, this same image was used to illustrate French cafe © life, to warn against he evils of alcohol and to accompany an article on the problem of prostitution in Paris. This provides us with a graphic illustration of how external context affects how we interpret images. Conclusion What arises from this discussion is the cameras ability to take virtually any image out of its original context and create a new context for it. The simple act of deciding what to Include In ten Trade Ana want to leave out Ana when to clock ten saunter effectively removes an image from its original position in space and time and places it in a new context that we, as viewers, are left to interpret.

What is Group Think

What is Group Think Free Online Research Papers What is Group Think? To answer the question, â€Å"What is Group Think,† you really have to examine the human thought process. Group Think is a method of thought: a way of thinking performed by a group of individuals in an effort to curtail discord and to arrive at a sense of accord or agreement. During the Group Think process, individuals will test, analyze and evaluate the group ideas under examination. Yet, the answer to â€Å"What is Group Think† is even more complex than the latter definition. Group Think, while at first seemingly positive because group members work together toward a common and acceptable outcome, actually has a serious disadvantage. William H. Whyte established the phrase â€Å"Group Think† in 1952 to describe a group thinking process that disallows the promotion of uncomfortable views – this can prove to be disadvantageous to single group members or to the entire group as a whole because the suppression of viewpoints can result in a rationalized conformity. The Group Think mindset can occur for a number of different reasons and the closer group members are, the more apt the group is to partake in the group thinking process. Symptoms of the group think process include the suppression of negative points of view for the sake of group unity, the isolation of the group from other individuals with diverse opinions from those held by the group, and the quiet acceptance of overzealous leadership. Other symptoms of group thinking include an unquestioning attitude toward group decisions, the formation of stereotypical beliefs, and the closing off of oneself to ideas that do not support the group’s general thinking. Group Think sacrifices one of the highest universal principles in favor of a corrupted misnaming of a organizational disease. In the end, the answer to what is group think is that it is a form of thinking that should be avoided; instead a group should strive to establish an atmosphere conducive to diverse ideas and forms of expression. Research Papers on What is Group ThinkEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesWhere Wild and West MeetResearch Process Part OneThe Fifth HorsemanQuebec and CanadaCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionThree Concepts of Psychodynamic19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided Era

Is Airport Security Safe for Travelers Assignment

Is Airport Security Safe for Travelers - Assignment Example The Transportation Security Authority (TSA) has continued to maintain the safety of these machines but there are plenty of people who question these results. Known as Rapiscan backscatter scanners, these will be removed from service by the end of June 2013. Millimeter wave scanners will remain in service instead to carry on with the required scanning for all airport travelers. The reason for the TSA canceling the contracts was presented more as the issue of body pictures resulting from the scans which many travelers felt were very intrusive rather than the fact that radiation might be harmful. Rapiscan, however, was not able to meet the deadline for designing software that would change the body images into stick-like figures rather than the actual body imagery that caused much of the controversy. As a consequence, the contracts were canceled and the scanners will be fully removed. The European Union has already banned all usage of x-ray body scanners in order to avoid any potential risk to EU travelers’ health and welfare. There have been claims from scientists over the years that testing criteria by the company, Rapiscan, had not been accurate from one machine to the next and that there was also leakage on several occasions. While not necessarily a concern to passenger so much, for TSA agents who monitor these machines over a length of time, the residue could add up although this was not addressed at any point. Some previous reports had shown clerical and mathematical errors in test results which, when redone, showed radiation levels at 10 times higher than what was previously expected.