CR3_ Clarke_ The Photograph_1980

In chapter 2, Graham Clarke asks, "How do we read a photograph?"  Rather than the notion of looking, which suggests a passive act, Clarke insists that we are reading a photograph.  And that implies "a series of problematic, ambiguous and often contradictory meanings. Clarks also provides some excellent photographic examples to support his arguments, such as Identical Twins and A Family on Their Lawn One Sunday in Westchester by Diane Arbus,General Robert Potter and Staff. Matthew Brady Standing by Tree and John Henry, A Well by Matthew Brady and Route 9W New York and Albuquerque by Lee Friedlander. Daine Arbus's photograph of the two identical twins is used show an image that has been "neutralised" and denied context.  But then we see other photographs in the chapter where there is context originating from the photographer's point of view be it aesthetic, polemical, political or ideological and also by where the photograph stands in  terms of a series of wider histories  at once aesthetic, cultural and social.  In terms of genre, each category has its own conventions and terms of reference. 

In terms of the Diane Arbus Identical Twins photograph Clarke mentions that even though straight away the image looks perfectly composed which is enhanced by the twins, it’s actually very different. Graham decoded it section by section, which was the photographers aim. Diane wanted to play with the viewer, she placed the twins a few feet away from the wall, disrupted the composition to create this sense of unbalance which as photographer I read but from an average persons point of view it just seems like a perfect picutre of a set of twins. From just this image we read that a meaning is never fixed. Of course in most photographs there is a dominant or prefer reading but the photographer only has a certain amount of control over how the photograph will be interprited. 

Graham Clarke began to decode A Family on Their Lawn One Sunday in Westchester (below) captured by Diane Arbus, there are many more meanings and hidden messages. The mother and father are sitting almost symmetrically. Their expressions and body language are very different. While the mother looks very relaxed and chilled out sunbathing, the male has his hand over his face and he looks unhappy, stressed or full of dread. This possibly reflects the society of the 60’s where the men would go out to work and become tired and/or stressed while the women would stay at home to look after the children and do the housework etc. This image captures the stereotypes of the day.  A little boy is playing alone and is turned away from his father. Graham argues that the boy is also placed closer to the mother which may mean that he is closer to her socially and emotionally also. However, I started to disagree with his method of reading this photographs, because these people for all we know could just be having a relaxing day in the sun and at that moment look miserable.

In conclusion, we must remember that the photograph is itself the product of a photographer. When we take a photo, we need to know what we want to shoot. Do not ignore the importance of details.  In other words, we encode the meanings and the audience can through the details to encode the hidden messages.