Discussion of the Key Readings in Visual Analysis
In the reading under the discussion, visual analysis method has been used. The three key readings in the visual analysis include Barthes (1977a), Barthes (1977b) and Barthes (1981) all focus on the analysis and understanding of image and photography. Those researches all focus on the understanding of photography and the related information under the photography, that all belongs to the semiological analysis of visual phenomena. For instance, Barthes (1981) discussed the way how to understand and analyse photograph through three levels, phenomenology has been applied in the analysis of photographs and three key concepts has been claimed, include the Noeme of photography, which is the essence of the photo showing that has been happened in the photo. The Studium, indicate the conventional cultural meaning of the photo, it include both the denotation and connotation of the photo. Then, the Punctum, punctures or disturbs the studim of photo, it has highly subjective and unintentional, it is the message that saying to the reader of the photo through looking at it.
The visual analysis through three level concepts on photography is a good applied method for understanding the history and the culture, as well as the things behind the photos that the photo expresses to the readers (Pink, 2007). Due to the limited reach to the historical real, it is important to read the history through photo and it could reflect the photographers emotions through the photo as well as reading the things happened in the subjects on the photo (Barthes, 1977a).
Compare with disclosure analysis that studied in last week, the visual analysis could telling more hidden things through the analysis, and it is also a more subjective approach in analysing, which means the understanding and analysis of a same photo could be different by different people. The writer put themselves into the analysing of the photo and which reflect in the first personal use in the writing style in the all three readings (Barthes, 1977b). The research just presented as more of a process to tell people how to understand the photos, the writer use the structured writing style to present the fial product and it is just like telling stories rather than a research paper (Barthes, 1981). Due to the quite old time of the three readings, 1977 and 1981, the writing style may not be as effective as I see in contemporary world. If I analyse photos and explain the visual analysis, I will structure them more clearly in a research structure and present the findings more clearly.
The visual analysis method could be effectively used in understanding the social cultural problems, such as the dark side of the society, different people’s living status by reading ad analysis from visual analysis on photos, which will be particular effective methodology in cultural study (Rose, 2001).
References
Barthes, R. 1977a. “The Rhetoric of the Image”. In Image, Music, Text, 35–51. London: Flamingo.
Barthes, R. 1977b. “The Photographic Message.” In Image, Music, Text, 15–31. London: Flamingo.
Barthes, R. 1981. Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography. First American edition. New York: Hill; Wang.
Pink, S. 2007. Doing Visual Ethnography: Images, Media, Representation in Research. London, Thousand Oaks and New Delhi: Sage.
Rose, G.2001. Visual Methodologies. London: Sage.
by huijie wang
MCS923 Group 5 