When you see this iconic image of Buzz Aldrin standing in the Sea of Tranquility on July 20, 1969, what narative, what story occurs to you? How does this one picture capture a 1000 stories?
What is Photography?
It’s
- a semiotic system, a form of visual language, that writers, speakers, knowledge workers . . . use to convey meaning
- a subject of study, an academic topic
- a profession.
Related Concepts: Concrete, Sensory Language; Description; Design
Why Does Photography Matter to Writers?
Photography is a powerful medium of communication, especially for
- narration, story telling
- description
- appeals to pathos and logos
Photography appeals to our senses, our sense of sight, which is a dominant mode of human perception and learning.
Writers, speakers, knowledge makers . . . use photographs in their texts to appeal to the readers, listeners, users’ senses–especially sight.
Pictures resonate with readers, listeners, users . . . at a primal level–at the level of our senses: when we see something, we can imagine it. When we see the picture of dessert, we can imagine how good it would taste. Our appetite suddenly springs into action!
Recommended Resources
- “Explore”. Google Arts & Culture.
- Thompson Writing Program. “Writing about Photography”. Duke University.
