After talking about what’s behind the creation of work and understanding where it fits into the universe of other creative works I started to think about how I look at images. It’s one thing to be told the secret and another to be able to unlock the secret yourself.
I’m sure that there are ways to look at images in a meaningful systematic way, I find that I’m systematic, I do the same things over and over again, but perhaps not meaningful. In essence I’m running through a mental check list, a process that happens quickly:
- What’s this a photograph of? What is the photograph about?
- Have a seen something similar before? Where? By Whom?
- How was this created? What was the pov? What lens was used?
- Any other creative effect? Filters? Shutter speed? Depth of field? Focus?
- How has space been used in this image? Foreground, middle and distance?
- What about balance? Where is the visual mass, how does this draw the eye?
- What about light? How does it contribute to the information in, or impact of, the image?
When I’ve eventually exhausted the initial run through I then turn to what has been churning away in the background:
- What does this make me feel? What are my thoughts? What associations does this image bring to mind.
How about you? Do you have a way that you look at images? What works for you? I’d love to hear about it.