Reading Assessment 1 - On Barrett Chapter 2, Describing Photographs

1a. Barrett defines description as the gathering of basic information on which understanding is built, and it's either done out loud or in print. It's the process of noticing things and then telling someone else what you saw or experienced. Description can be both the obvious and also the not so obvious things that's being observed. Description is usually either done by judging first and then interpretation, or vice versa. When describing a photograph, it's important to consider subject, subject matter, form, medium and style.

1b. Barrett defines subject and subject matter to be two different things. He defines subject to be interpretive and subject matter is descriptive. Subject is the meaning or the theme of the photograph, and the subject matter is what is being photographed.

1c. Barrett defines form as the way the subject matter is portrayed in a photograph. Form has to do with the "formal elements" which are dot, line, shape, light and value, color, texture, mass, space, and volume. When describing a photograph, contrast, point of view, and range is often used. Photographers use these formal elements in order to create a well composed photograph.

1d. Barrett defines medium as what the object/ art work is made out of. The medium is important because it can add meaning to the work. The medium is not only about the material used, but also the process that the artist went through to create the work. Describing the camera that was used, the paper it was printed on, and how these decisions impacted the final product is important to mention when describing the medium of a photograph.

1e. Barrett defines style as something that is determined through several things such as the choice of subject matter, the medium, and how the photograph is arranged. Barrett also defines style as a resemblance among other artists, movements, location, etc.

2a. Comparing and contrasting according to Barrett is the process of analyzing a photograph and comparing and contrasting that photograph to other work. It can be compared to other work that the photographer has done or to work done by other photographers. It's the process of identifying the things that make the photos similar and what makes them different.

2b. Internal information is the the description of a photograph that has to do with subject, for, medium and style. External information is information gathered from external sources, which can b used to understanding the work even more. External information can be finding out information about the photographer's past work, how many shoots were done, who commissioned the work, etc. This and more information can be found in interview, press releases, catalogue and other art sources.

3a. Barrett states that one cannot describe without interpreting, and vice-versa. When one is describing the elements that make up the photograph, one is also interpreting how those elements make up the image as a whole. Interpretation is neccesary in talking about the appreciation the critic has for the photograph.

3b. Barrett states that when describing a photograph, critics will do it based on their evaluation of the photograph. The evaluation is whether they find it to be good or bad. Once the work has been evaluated, the description will then either be negative or positive. Barrett mentions that it's important for the readers to be able to distingusih description from judgment.

4a. Barrett makes a point that photographs are human constructs, and that they are not natural. Barrett also makes a point that by paying attention to subject, form, medium and style, one can find a lot to say about a photograph. A third point that Barrett makes is that being able to describe photographs well is valuable, because many people don't pay a lot of attention to photographs and therefore miss the value of it.

4b. After reading this chapter, I was reminded by the importance of all these different elements that go into making a photograph. I also learned the process that goes into describing photographs, how to compare and contrast, difference between interpreting and evaluating. I also learned that description is criticism, which is something I tend to forget when listening or reading someone describing a photograph. It's important to remember that everyone describes artwork based on their own judgment.

4c. I found this material to be really easy to read, and I liked how there were so many different examples that helped in the understanding of these concepts.