DPP: Exercise 14: Interpretative Processing

The purpose of this exercise is to experiment with interpretations of a photographic image through the tools provided in processing software.  My program of choice is Lightroom and included here are photos of recent vintage that were shot and processed before arriving at this exercise.  I display them here as evidence that I understand the intention of the exercise.

Barrett, Criticizing Photographs, Ch 3: Interpreting Photographs, 3rd ed, 2000

From a book I recently reviewed. The photos signify Guan-yin, the female goddess of compassion in Eastern Buddhism. The one on right, by including the altar, connotes sacredness through objects of ritual devotion.

Barrett begins by noting that photographs are not “facts about the world” but images in need of interpretation. Photos are about something, created for some communicative purpose.  “Each photograph embodies a particular way of seeing and showing the world.”  He quotes Ernst Gombrich on there being no such thing as an “innocent eye” and cites Barthe’s two practices of signification:  denotation and connotation (showing and implying).  A photograph may show something quite clearly, but its implications - how it is shown and for what purpose - may not be so clear.  Photos made in a straightforward, realist manner are in most need of interpretation as their intent may be concealed beneath the “reality.”  

What then is interpretation?