A photograph can be interpreted in a different way by the individual that looks at it. The sub-meanings in images have an even greater expanse of possible interpretations, but there we may also find similarities based on our culture, beliefs or lifestyle. Take for example this image of the last full-blooded Yahgan Indian in Tierra del fuego Chile. When the image was taken the Photographer, Sam Abel,l used a shaft of natural light combined with Rosa's cigarette smoke to create an allusion of dignity. Abell even included the cigarette itself which nowadays, especially in the western world, would be frowned upon. In the western world it is now incredibly rare to see anyone in the public eye smoking, where as for this Indian woman it was symbol of status. It possible to apply these ideas to almost any image, though some leave room for far greater ambiguity. Most images will have a strong theme that many people relate to and interpret in the same way, but who is to say our reading of the signs is the right one?
In Focus National Geographic greatest portraits.
samabell-thephotographiclife.com
John Berger-Ways of seeing
John Berger- Another way of telling
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