How to comment on Conceptual Photography.

There are a number of different types of comments that are typically given on Photography. The quick 'Wow, Awesome or Superb' or more involved comments that make reference to the technical aspects of the photography. There isn't anything really wrong with these sorts of comments and I think we all understand that sometimes we like something just because we like something.

But with Conceptual Photography there is so much more to comment on. The idea behind or expressed through the image is much more important than the image itself. But sometimes it can be difficult to understand the idea because it might not have the same significance in our won cultures and languages.

I find the best thing to do is to describe the image to myself and to look for associated meanings in what I see.

For instance if I am looking at an image of a knife through a melon, I try and think of all the things the knife can symbolize and all the things the melon can symbolize and then how those two things work when they are placed together. This process is called Semiotic interpretation and is an important part of how we make sense of the things we see around us in our everyday lives. Its a process that works automatically for us and most of the time we do not notice it. But when we look at a photograph its useful to be able to take manual control of the process. The more we practice this, the easier it becomes.

For Example....


[The perpetual eye
by *dinmeleth2004]

In this photograph we first notice a wall and a mirror. The wall is coloured a deep green and the mirror is an ornate gold and looks like an expensive antique. The wall acts as a solid object and unmovable barrier and the mirror can represent a variety of things, a window onto the world, a distortion of the world reflected, a route through the wall into something beyond it or even a representation of ourselves when we are reflected in it. Both items together reveal a scene of refined luxury. The mirror reflects what looks like an art gallery. Notice how close (as the viewer) we seem to be to the mirror, but it seems to lack the reflection of the person standing in front of it. Yet if we look carefully we can see the photographer as a distant form and almost unconnected to the image itself.

Think about what all these different things could mean when they are placed together like this.

The photographer of this work has described this image as a self portrait. He has chosen to use these signs to express a part of his personality. He seems to be telling us how disconnected he feels from such ornate settings and maybe how disconnected he feels to his own photography. He has placed us, as the viewer, much closer to the mirror than himself and this may even be telling us that he feels disconnected from his audience. But the mirror also acts as a constantly seeing eye (as in the Title) and the photographer could be seeing this as his own approach to photography.

Knowing how to read a photograph can also help us construct a photograph and visualize our own concepts. If you have read this far and usually only give short supportive comments, then why not try this next time you come across something that really grabs your attention.


Or maybe try it out on these examples......







What is Conceptual Photography?