Evaluating a Photograph - What to write?
So, your teacher tells you to evaluate or analyse a photograph. Provide your opinions they say ....... describe what you see ..... but where do you start? ..... Well here is an idiots guide to writing about a photograph:
Describe it.
What do you see in the photograph?
What words would you use to describe this photograph?
How would you describe this photograph to a person who could not see it?
Is this a naturalistic or abstract image?
What things do you recognize in this photograph?
What things seem new to you?
Understand it.
What equipment have been used to make the image?
What techniques have been used to make the image?
How does this affect the way we view it
What does this photograph remind you of?
How would you describe the lines in the picture? The shape? The colours/tones? The textures? The patterns?
How has the photographer captured the play of light in this image?
How is the picture different from real life?
What interests you most about this work of art?
Analyse it.
How is the space represented in this photograph?
Which part of the photograph strikes you as the most interesting? Why?
What questions wuold you ask the artist about this work if she/he were here?
What can you discover about this image and the work of this artist through research?
How does this new knowledge affect you understanding of the work?
Interpret it.
What title would you give to this photographer?
What made you decide on that title?
What other titles could we give it?
What do you think is going on in this picture?
How did you arrive at that idea?
What do you think this photograph is about?
How did you come up with that idea?
Pretend you are inside this photograph - what does it feel like?
Why do you suppose the artist made this photograph?
What make you think that?
What do you think it would be like to live in this photograph?
What makes you think that?
Evaluate it.
What do you think is effective about this photograph?
What doesn't work so well?
What do you think other people would say about this work?
Why do you think that?
What do you think is worth remembering aboiut this photograph?
Create a photographic response to this image - what did you choose to create and why?
How does it compare to the original stimulus?
What have you learned from xploring this art work?
Describe it.
What do you see in the photograph?
What words would you use to describe this photograph?
How would you describe this photograph to a person who could not see it?
Is this a naturalistic or abstract image?
What things do you recognize in this photograph?
What things seem new to you?
Understand it.
What equipment have been used to make the image?
What techniques have been used to make the image?
How does this affect the way we view it
What does this photograph remind you of?
How would you describe the lines in the picture? The shape? The colours/tones? The textures? The patterns?
How has the photographer captured the play of light in this image?
How is the picture different from real life?
What interests you most about this work of art?
Analyse it.
How is the space represented in this photograph?
Which part of the photograph strikes you as the most interesting? Why?
What questions wuold you ask the artist about this work if she/he were here?
What can you discover about this image and the work of this artist through research?
How does this new knowledge affect you understanding of the work?
Interpret it.
What title would you give to this photographer?
What made you decide on that title?
What other titles could we give it?
What do you think is going on in this picture?
How did you arrive at that idea?
What do you think this photograph is about?
How did you come up with that idea?
Pretend you are inside this photograph - what does it feel like?
Why do you suppose the artist made this photograph?
What make you think that?
What do you think it would be like to live in this photograph?
What makes you think that?
Evaluate it.
What do you think is effective about this photograph?
What doesn't work so well?
What do you think other people would say about this work?
Why do you think that?
What do you think is worth remembering aboiut this photograph?
Create a photographic response to this image - what did you choose to create and why?
How does it compare to the original stimulus?
What have you learned from xploring this art work?