He is highly regarded as one of the most prominent explorers of visual communication and sight-related theories. He described "seeing" as being the sum of sensing, selecting, and perceiving...

"The more you see, the more you know."
- Aldous Huxley

Dior - J'adore (Charlize Theron)

In terms of composition this television advertisement has been put together with conscious thought certainly relating to design, form, visual ordering and formal structure. In this advertisement celebrity endorsement has certainly been used as a technique in order to grip the audience. As Charlize Theron is well known, those who idolise her in some way or aspire to be more like her are more likely to purchase the product. I have chosen this advertisement mainly because to me as a viewer it generates a lot of meaning.

Firstly, when Charlize removes her clothing towards the end of the advert this appears to symbolise confidence and the feeling of being sexually attractive without clothing. Perhaps this technique was used so that women associate wearing the perfume with confidence and attractiveness, encouraging to them to purchase the product.

As the media texts primary function is to possibly promote Dior as well as to sell the actual product, text is provided at the end of the advertisement which anchors the images within it. This makes the meaning of the images within the media text more obvious to the audience.

Theron's pose is seductive, but not too revealing - to me this signifies class. Also, her direct gaze not only connects her with the audience but delivers even more confidence.

The furniture in the background is periodic which symbolises wealth. This suggests that the perfume is designed perhaps for those belonging to a high(ish) socio-economic background and also shows to a certain degree that the perfume is 'classy.'

The tanned, golden colours within the advertisement make it very sophisticated and also symbolise wealth. Charlize herself appears 'golden' making her look healthy and attractive.

The viewpoint greatly influences the viewer's interpretation of the image, Theron works with the camera, and the low camera angle empowers her, allowing her to dominate the screen. She also appears more dramatic as she almost fills the frame - all attention is diverted away from the background and on to Charlize Theron.

In the media text it is also apparent that stereotyping is a technique that has been used. The advertisement is very feminine in the way that it empowers women, and personally I think that many women will hold many of the same values in which the advert portrays.

My Morning Walk

Firstly, I determined what the focus of my photographs were going to be. In order to remain organised, I composed the pictures elements according to my points of interest that I came across. The elements of my photographs have been arranged with the consideration of several factors in order to create harmonious wholes. My aim was to take photographs which would work together to produce a desired statement - in this case a sense of peace and harmony. It is said to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye if the elements within the work are arranged in a balanced and compositional way.

 The curved lines within these photographs create a sense of flow within the images - making them more aesthetically pleasing as they are associated with soft things. This provides a greater dynamic influence in the photographs. The curved lines within the images also give grated shadows - this paired with soft-directional lighting results in a very harmonious line structure within pictures.

Oblique lines within the water of the photographs and often also the grassy banking convey a sense of movement. This makes the photographs appear more 'wild' and natural.

Colour is often associated with particular moods, in this case the natural green and brown colours within the image contrasted with the natural light from the sun reflecting on the water creates a sense of peace. The white can be said to symbolise the purity of the natural running water.



Oblique Lines



    

Natural Light

                    

The distance from the intended subject (in most cases in these photographs the subject is the stream), also effects whether the photograph is actually a scenic view or of something in particular. Positioning also effects how the viewers eye is led around the image. For example, in the photograph above the eye is attracted to the light being reflected in the water before gradually taking in the entire image as it is in central position and also stands out against the more 'dull' natural colours. Where as in most of the photographs above the eye doesn't just focus on mainly one part of the image but is led around both the foreground and background.

The overall effect of these photographs reflect my mood on my walk this morning - it gives the viewer a sense of peace and harmony - and perhaps of being at one with nature along and the natural. The realistic imagery also gives the viewer a sense of actually being there.

Lighting and Photography

'Understanding lighting is fundamental to good photography and a good photographer learns to paint with light. How any image is lit will change how the viewer sees and interprets the content.' (David Prakel - Lighting, 2007).

It is mastery of light that marks out the work of the truly great photographers. By knowing the rules that light obeys and understanding some of it's qualities and composition can help a photographer to work with light. It is important in photography that images are not spoilt with flare, lost highlights and shadow detail or colours that lack saturation. Time of day, for example, is an important decision in photography as it determines the direction/angle of light and also colour quality. Supplementing natural light with flash can make the subject of the photograph, or landscape for example, look entirely different. I tried this out by taking photographs of a view of my garden and using the flash, no flash and auto settings on my camera (examples are below):

No Flash - natural light is visible giving the image a more realistic effect. The natural light allows more detail on the trees to be depicted, and there is also enough light given to show some detail of the flowers. However, the image is quite dark and gloomy which is not always appealing for a viewer.

 

Flash - Using flash often results in loss of detail, and in this case there quite a difference in colour and focus of detail. However, this photograph appears much less 'dull' and much more summery.

Auto - This photograph contains a reasonable amount of detail and light; it's a fairly good balance between the other two photographs.

Studio photographers, however, definitely have the greatest control over light.

'Through this photographic eye you will be able to look out on a new light-world, a world for the most part uncharted and unexplored, a world that lies waiting to be discovered and revealed.' - Edward Weston (photographer)

It is important when looking at photographs to not only see the subject, but observe how the subject is lit;

                                                          (Barnstorm - David Prakel)

It is important to not point the camera at the sun as it often takes on the form of the subject as opposed the the intended subject. An example of this is in David Prakel's photograph above; the light itself has become the subject of the photograph. The lighting in this case has created a sort-of contrast between the foreground and background - in the foreground there is much more detail being portrayed, where as the background is much harder to make out because of the light from the sun. In my opinion, whilst looking at this image, the lighting makes it easier for you to place yourself in the scene - to a certain extent it is realistic because often we are somewhat 'blinded' by the sun. Whether intended or not, the subject is now the lighting - as a viewer you are drawn to the details which the lighting highlights rather than the barn in the center of the image as any detail on the barn (which is likely to keep the attention of the viewer) has been lost through lighting.

The photograph above was taken by myself. I purposely included aimed my camera towards the sun light to see how the image would turn out. In this case, just like the image above it has added more detail to the foreground of the photograph and has a less detailed background. As mentioned above this gives a realistic effect of actually 'being there' for the viewer, as your view is generally restricted when you are 'blinded' by the sun. The lighting in this case also adds more detail to the thorn plant in the foreground of the photograph. In my opinion the natural light from the sun in this case makes the photograph unique in it's detail and in some ways quite attractive, but on the other hand the image could have been much more interesting for an audience if it had more background detail.

William Hogarth - Satire on False Perspective (1753-4)

Satire on False Perspective is an engraving created by William Hogarth in 1754. It greatly centers around linear perspective (an approximate representation on a flat surface of an image as it is seen by the eye), scale and distance. This image however, creates a false reality as it includes many deliberate examples of 'confused and misplaced perspective effects' - the scene can be said to be an example of impossible objects. The intent of the work was given clearly by it's subtitle featured underneath the image: "Whoever makes a DESIGN without the Knowledge of PERSPECTIVE will be liable to such Absurdities as are shown in this frontier piece."

The man portrayed on the hill stands out against the lighter hills, and therefore was the first apparent illusion to me as he appears not only to be portrayed as a very large and giant-like character in the distance but he also appears to be lighting his pipe with the candle belonging to the woman who is leaning out of the window. This has been very cleverly done, as visually this appears to be what is happening in the image - but in reality and from our memory and knowledge of distance the hill is actually distant from the building as they are separated by a bridge and land.

The second apparent "error" to me is the fishing rod line belonging to the man in the foreground as it passes the one belonging to the man behind him. The sign coming from the building also in the foreground is being overlapped by two trees in the distance. The swan in the distance also appears remarkably larger than the men in the boat - this is a fine example of why object size within an image is very important; everything has to be in proportion to ensure realism is given to the image.

Similarly, the crow perched on the tree in the background is huge in comparison to the tree, and this line of trees are perhaps representative of how the further away an object is aimed to be portrayed, the smaller they should be - but in this case it has been reversed.

Objects should become smaller as their distance from the observer increases, and in the case of foreshortening the size of an object's dimensions along the line of sight should be relatively shorter than dimensions across the line of sight. Perspective (particularly scale, distance and linear space) is highly important factor that must be taken into great consideration whilst communicating visually.

Advertising, and How People Gazing/Posing Conveys Visual Meaning.

In advertising people are often used to establish meaning and create a desire to purhcase the product or fulfil what the advert is asking of the consumer. The portrayal of image is highly important in advertising, as the saying goes "a picture is worth a thousand words" - each image which we see creates a different feeling which creates an action or reaction. The practice of using images to assist messaging in communications is referred to as visual communications and is an important marketing stratedy. I have learnt that it is important to create advertising and marketing using images that allow the audience to construct meaning and take an action that is profitable to you, or the texts success...

People, often who we can relate to or who we are likely to desire to be are used often in advertising. The way in which they act, look and pose are often highly important factors contributing to the success of the product. Kress and van Leeuwen described a 'two-valued relation' to people depicted: either they look at the viewer, and so make a “demand” for recognition, acknowledgement, response, or they are not looking at the viewer, and in a sense “offer” themselves for viewing as “third persons” (Reading Images, pp. 121-130.)

Marilyn Monroe - Jon-Jot Cosmetics Advertisement

For years, people have been used as an ideal source for selling products in advertising. Often celebrities are portrayed in advertising to act as a form of celebrity endorsement to attract customers to particular produce. Often if current celebrities are used in advertising people who aspire to be 'like them' are more likely to respond to the advert. They act as somewhat a symbol of idealism, therefore I have come to realise that within advertising it is important that likeable looks, characteristics and values are communicated visually to the public. For example, the image above is of Marilyn Monroe, a 19th century icon - people who idolised Marilyn for her fame and beauty were likely to be captivated by such an advert. It is often important in media texts (dependant on the purpose) to make them eye-catching and beautiful. There is also a lot of hidden meaning within the advertisement, Marilyn's pose and positioning within the image empowers her - making her look confident and attractive, being powerful was a very attractive thing to be as a female in the 1950's. Viewers of this advertisement are led to believe that they themselves would be confident, powerful and attractive like Marilyn if they purchased the product being associated with her. Also, as Marilyn was a huge success during the 50's it tells the consumer that the company is reputable and is selling a good product. Therefore Marilyn's reputation is being used as a symbol of the reliability and greatness of the product.

A more recent example of a similar advertisement is the advertisement above (Kate Moss endorsing a Mascara by Rimmel London) - here I am going to talk about her gaze, pose and how together they attract the audience. Like Marilyn, once again she is empowered as she is featured above the product and we are to presume that she is modelling it. Her lips are parted which is generally associated with sex. Turning Kate into a sex symbol makes the image stand out, she now has sexual power and attractiveness - something which many women would aspire to have. She is also featured as an image of perfection - her flawless skin and perfect make-up suggest to the consumer that they could become more 'perfect' with this product. Her gaze is somewhat direct and seductive trying to 'drag' the viewer in to inspect the effect which the mascara has on her eyes. The text "Lash Alert" also anchors the image, reinforcing that the product can give you beautiful eyelashes, and therefore make you more attractive.

From attempting to briefly analyse these advertisements I have realised that in most adverts there is a GREAT deal of symbolism to be found, even in posters alone. I have also found that, although beauty isn't everything, it's certainly important in the media, and in order to 'grip' the audience it is important to create 'attractive' media texts...

The Ugly Face of Prejudice

After watching Beauty and the Beast (a recent documentary on channel 4), I was amazed at the extremes of discrimination portrayed. Each episode centers around two individuals who are often defined by the way they look. One has an intense preoccupation with their appearance and the other a facial disfigurement.

The image above, which I found on channel 4's official website, has been greatly manipulated by the photographer, especially in terms of the body language of the subjects. The pose which the female beauty-obsessive upholds oozes confidence, where as the arm-crossing pose which the male with the facial disfigurement holds perhaps suggests that he is much more defensive and cautious towards those around him and the discrimination which he has undergone. Many meanings can be established from images within the media - this one has highly likely been used to attract audience members towards watching the documentary, they have attempted to do this by creating such an interesting contrast between the two people within this image. People are interested in those who are different and unique, in many ways this image acts as a source of escapism from everyday 'normal' life and whilst, if read appropriately, also gives an interesting insight into the lives of two people with extreme circumstances and/or values. I have come to realise that it is highly important to create unique and insightful media texts in order for it to create enough intrigue to be successful.