Our review in class today of the book Camera Lucida ushered in a new understanding of photography as a medium in itself. What is a photograph, but a mere capture of a moment. A true moment? Maybe not. But a moment nonetheless. As the author notes, photographs ( portraits in particular) may not be as realistic as they seem. In the sense, that a person no matter how much they resist, is inevitably posing for a picture whether they smile or not, whether they maintain eye contact or not. The mere fact of knowing that they are being photographed changes the individual. For a person becomes more conscious of them self and thus portrays less of their true identity. They stick out their chest, straighten their posture, even flip their hair for the appearance of a natural look. Ironic, no? But there's more than just the image the person in the spotlight is trying to depict. There exist who the person thinks they are, who the person wants others to see them as, who the photographer sees them as, and finally who the photographer chooses to exhibit as their art. Yet, in none of these exist who the subject really is. If there is an answer to such question anyway.

Though for the most part, the audience likes to interpret photographs as more than meets the eye, Barthes points out that the obvious of the picture is just as important. He focuses on the superficial aspects of the image, most importantly the items that strike him as an observer. For it is these differences and acknowledgements that come to mind when reflecting on a photograph. When analyzing a photograph, one must first describe it (a process we often overlook). What do you see exactly? Notice the subjects in the image, their clothing, their surrounding, the background architecture, the less significant bystanders in the picture. Each miniscule aspect together adds to the beauty of the image before our eyes. Once one appreciates these traits of a picture, one gains a greater understanding of the time the picture was taken, the history behind it, the culture, the overall mood. Hence, we are one step closer to the full understanding of a photograph.

class="Apple-style-span">[ http://nonphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/twoforone.jpg]