READING ASSESSMENT 2

1) Photographs need to be recognized as pictures with a purpose to express or communicate something to others. The photographer's knowledge, belief, values, and attitudes are reflected in the photographs they create. Interpretations are the answers to a person's questions about a photograph, and so interpretations vary depending on the questions a person asks and the answers they find. Interpretations are not judged on what is right and what is wrong, rather they are judged by how reasonable they are.

2) When people look at photos in a newspaper, they are taken as facts just as the article it accompanies. People do not realize that the photographer constructed the photo with skill in order to change a person's view of it, whether it be negative or positive. Cindy Sherman's self-portrait photographs show a woman doing various things like being a circus clown. A person could ask who the woman is, and find that it is the artist, making them believe that this is what the artist thinks of herself. Others could ask about how the subject was photographed, leading them to interpret the photos as a reference to media portrayals of women, and these interpretations of Sherman's photos are all valid due to the fact that they have a reasonable basis to go off of.

3) Interpretation is not just what a person thinks of a photograph. Interpretation is when attention and discussion move beyond basic information to discussion of the photo's meaning and purpose. For someone to interpret, they must account for all the described aspects of the photograph and determine the meaning behind the connections between those aspects. Interpreting also includes telling the sense, tone, or mood of the photo as well.

4) Photographs need to be interpreted so that they may be fully appreciated. People tend to accept photographs as facts that do not need any special attention. They are treated like everyday items, like a bed in a bedroom, something never to be thought about. However, every photograph is affected by the photographer and their own beliefs, giving each photograph its own perspective that needs to be recognized so that we know exactly what that perspective is.

5) One example that stood out to me was the photo Eleanor. Two of the three interpretations of this photo kind of creeped me out. They described her as a "Heliopolitan goddess" and stated how she was an "energy rather than a substance". When I looked at the photo, I saw a woman who was putting up with her husband's crap by resistantly being his model. Then the feminist interpretation surprised me because I would have never thought that a photo as simple as this would completely change someone's world view, especially when that world view is revealed to be somewhat sexist. I never got any of those views/vibes from that photo.

6) Some people understand artworks better than others. So, some interpretations of those artworks are also better than others. Not all interpretations are equal, and they should not be based on whether they are true or false. Good interpretations are plausible, original, and insightful.

7) Not every photographer takes their photos with something in mind, or intent. Therefor, people should not compare their interpretations to the photographer's intent. An artist cannot just give any interpretation they want without it being shown in the presented photo. So, the artist's own interpretation should be judged the same as anyone else's.

8) One way to interpret a photo is through the artist's biography. Knowing more about the artist's background and how they grew up can help answer the question "why did they make this?" Interpretations are not just random thoughts and feelings thrown out by critics. Interpretations are like arguments, and they need evidence to support them in order for them to be deemed plausible.

9) Critics, artists, collectors, and viewers are all in the community of interpreters. Together they observe and talk about their understandings of photographs that then combine into a common interpretation of the piece. This community creates and accepts interpretations that are reasonable and based off of knowledge. By following the principles of interpretation, such as how interpretations differ and should be reasonable, everyone can join the community and contribute to it as well as benefit from it.