The Practice of Looking

The Practices of Looking provides an insight to the visual complexities we go through when we look at an image. We see pictures every day whether it be advertisement, news, or art photographs are unavoidable. But when we take a minute to look at a picture (look as a “act of choice…that involves greater sense of purpose and direction” according to Sturken and Cartwright) we begin to dissect the picture, consciously and subconsciously. A lot of times we don’t realize that the way that we look at a picture is often biased by the culture and society we have been brought up in or even others that we have learned. We take the meaning of a picture from details that the photographer chose to include, such as objects, positioning, angles, and lighting. Often times we can get a literal as well as a cultural, connotative meaning from a single photograph.

There is more that our minds go through when looking at an image than we first realize and Practices of Looking does a good job of explaining different aspects of why we view an image the way that we do. I did feel like one very big point was missed, that quite honestly, I thought was going to be hit but never was. What prompted me to think of this was on page 11 and the photograph by Weegee, “Their First Murder”.
This picture is talked about and the first thing that is said about it is that the children in the picture have just seen a murder scene in the street; without being told that upfront, I would have never guessed that’s what was going on when this shot was captured (though I do believe that was the emotion sought by the photographer). My problem now with the readings is that an image is a split second captured in time and in that split second something can be captured that tells a different story than what is actually going on. During this reading the authors speak of the intentional taking of a picture but I truly believe that some of the best pictures to be produced, though certain intent may have been sought, have been unexpected. I say this, only because especially with people, there is no saying what can happen in that split second when the shutter is released. That picture though, may end up being the best one to have been captured. The authors touch on the truth value of photography, but focus on digital imaging, but I believe that a photograph can sway a situation depending on that split second that a photograph is captured. I think the best term to put on what I am trying to say is “accidental biased”.

I think I may have to come back and touch on this again to better make the point.