In their essay Seeing Beyond Belief: Cultural Studies as an Approach to Analysing the Visual Lister and Wells explore how culture, social circumstances, history, and semiotics impact how meaning, pleasure, and power are articulated through specific images. Examine the photograph at right and comment on what you see. What does this photograph mean to you? Why?
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Photographs
In their essay Seeing Beyond Belief: Cultural Studies as an Approach to Analysing the Visual Lister and Wells explore how culture, social circumstances, history, and semiotics impact how meaning, pleasure, and power are articulated through specific images. Examine the photograph at right and comment on what you see. What does this photograph mean to you? Why?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
16 comments:
The photograph shows the queen of England walking with several people of importance to her. She is being saluted by members of the national armed forces. She is dressed in a professional manner and she is the center of the photograph. There is a symmetry along both sides of the photograph with the men saluting to her. She is not looking directly ahead. She almost has a puzzled look on her face but she is most likely just looking around the room to see who she needs to address. Her focus is on something that we cannot see in the photograph. There is obviously a large amount of press because you can see multiple photographers in the foreground. It is unclear where the queen is walking towards but possibly into a building where she is going to make a speech or something like that.
This photograph of the what appears to be the queen of England is full of symbolism and contrast. The most blatant contrast is between the small and fragile queen and the tall and powerfully dominating soldiers. It's this contrast that adds to the symbolism of the salutes they are giving to the queen. It is startling to see such an obviously physically weaker person being given such respect by soldiers of such a demeanor. Also there is symbolism in the uniforms these soldiers wear. On the right appears to be soldiers wearing modern garb while the left side is wearing what looks like more traditional uniform. This shows a symbolism of the queen receiving respect from both modern and past soldiers. Overall, the message conveyed is one of submission and discipline mandated by tradition.
The photo is of the queen of England and other important individuals to her. She is being saluted by national armed forces as she walks down a path surrounded by soldiers on both sides. Pete's comment on the contrasting soldiers uniforms is very intriguing. The soldiers' uniforms on the left appear to be of an older tradition with the feathery hat. The soldiers on the left are dressed in the normal present day uniform. The salutes coming from both types of soldiers and the apparent interest the photographers are taking in the queen show how powerful and respected she truly is. The salutes from the old soldiers and the new symbolize how the older generations as well as the youth respect her.
If one did not know what the Queen of England looked like, the viewer of this photograph would still be able to understand that the elderly woman walking down the man made path of strategically placed soldiers is someone of importance. The salutation from the soldiers and their upright focused stance are expressions that show the utmost respect. Elegant attire shows her wealth, and the cameras on the left near corner prove her importance as well. Average people are usually not surrounded by paparazzi and escorted by a prestigiously dressed crew. Her face is one that is welcoming. Her half smile show’s her recognition of the soldiers respect for her. Although she is a well-known woman, she is not pretentious. The moment captured by the photographer shows her warmth. The framing is wide set, not focused on one person, but they layout of the photo focuses the viewer on the Queen in the center aisle, even though she is slightly off center herself. The depth of the photo shows that she has been walking through this outdoor path, and that she is now, most likely, heading inside. She is either speaking or making an appearance. Everyone is dressed in white, black or other neutral dull colors, except for the Queen. She is in lavender and hot pink. This also draws the viewer’s eye towards the queen. It is very bright behind the Queen, and the light slowly dies out when it reaches the near corners, but there is still light on the Queen’s pathway.
The first thing to be taken into consideration when reviewing this photograph is the woman in the center of the photo. Given her clothing and elegant appearance within the photograph it can be inferred she is a figure looked upon by the soldiers and people around her. This woman is in fact the Queen of England being saluted by the soldiers. An interesting detail about the soldiers is the difference in hats from those on the left and those on the right, probably indicating their rank. The queen’s expression is not clearly conveyed, as the audience is not on the same level as her. She seems to be looking to the side at someone in the crowd of people she is passing through. She seems uncertain yet the man escorting her seems very pleased and sure of himself as he guides the queen along the path. Her hands crossed may indicate an insecurity she is facing which may be found amongst the press or someone in the crowd. Nonetheless she is being viewed and saluted with respect from those around her.
In response to Kate’s comment I agree that she looks puzzled and is probably looking into the crowd considering whom she shall address. I also thought it was interesting how you further analyzed the photo and made the inference that she was going to make a speech or presentation. That assumption seems to fit well with her location and those people surrounding her.
In this photo the first thing I notice is an elderly women who is being saluted by soldiers on the left and right of her. This woman is of importance because the salutes are a symbol of respect. Another way that I know she is important is because of the photographers. She is also in the center of the picture which draws the attention on her. She is wearing white gloves and has on nice attire which means that she is of some type of royalty. From my own background knowledge and the uniforms that the soldiers are wearing, I know that she is the queen of England. Personally, this picture doesn’t mean much to me because I am not from England. I think my perspective would be different if this were a picture of an American leader. One thing that I do like about this picture is that it is showing the important of a female leader. Even though she is old, she is still very respected and praised.
In response to Peter, I think that it is a very good observation that the soldiers on the left have different uniforms than the soldiers on the right. I agree that the ones of the left seem to be more traditional and the ones on the right appear to be more modern. This is symbolic because it shows that regardless of the generation they all share the same respect for the queen and they hold her in high regard. I also like the observation that Alex made about the fact that the light from the outside is illuminating the path in which the queen is walking on.
In response to Alex, I like that you commented on the fact that if you did not know this was the queen of England you could still tell she was of great importance because all of the attention of the photograph is on her. Also, her colors do draw the focus onto her as well. I agree that the wide focus shows that she has been walking from outside and is now inside and all of the light is in the center of the photograph.
When I first saw this picture, the thing that seemed most prominent in it was the woman in the center. It seems like it is the Queen of England walking with a few other prominent figures. The way the woman is dressed made me think that it could be the Queen of England. This picture gives proof of how important the Queen is because in the corners of the picture you can see police and then along each side of her are military guards. All three individuals in the center of the picture are looking at something that viewers are unable to see. Her puzzled facial expressions show that she is focused on something. The soldiers on either side of the Queen are wearing different uniforms and another detail I noticed in the photograph is the photographers on the left bottom corner. The photographers give proof that this is a very important occasion and that she might be visiting some place that she has not been recently. The photographers, the military guards, and the policeman show that the Queen is a very prominent and important figure in society today.
Erica Ellermeyer
In response to Kate, I agree with you that the Queen’s focus is on something that viewers are unable to see. I agree with you that her face has a puzzled look on it and that she is not looking directly ahead. I also noticed the symmetry that you commented on. The guards along either side of her create a center walkway for her to walk down. The Queen’s final destination is unclear, but she might be walking towards a stage where she will make a speech to address her spectators.
Erica Ellermeyer
An elderly woman and a gentleman in his late fifties walk side by side with two different armed forces standing at attention to their right and their left. The two forces stand in direct opposition of each other, yet there is no apparent animosity or resentment between them. The two forces could be from the same country or two different countries that are meeting. The elderly woman and gentleman are the focus of the picture because they are in the exact middle. They are both dressed very formally. The only trace of color in the entire picture is the elderly woman’s hat. The color adds warmth and a sense of gentleness to her appearance. The photographer at the bottom left of the picture shows that whatever is happening most be of some discernable importance to draw the attention of the photographer. There is U.S. stitched into the left sleeve of the first soldier on the right side. Since the rest of the soldiers on that side are dressed identical to this man, it is safe to assume that the remainder of the soldiers on the right are also U.S. soldiers. Comparatively on the left side all the soldiers have English style hats on. Through deduction one can see that the two major countries represented in this picture are the United States and England. Also despite the difference in the nationalities; the color of the uniforms, their poise, and their salutes are identical.
I assume that the photo is of the Queen of England. She commonly wears the sort of hat that the woman wears in this photo, and she looks similar to the Queen. She is very well dressed, wearing a very elegant outfit that has flowers on the breast. She also wears gloves, and carries a purse. She walks in heels. She is much older than the people around her, who appear to be walking with her. All of them are in stride and talking with one another. The Queen and the man next to her seem to be the only people who are not engaged in conversation, but instead, look toward the people on the sides of the image. They are outside, but probably still under a roof, in a city. Uniformed men, possibly soldiers create a gauntlet, which the Queen and the people that follow her walk through. The uniforms are ornate, and their hats are adorned with a prominent decoration which raises above their head. All of the men are dressed the same way, and all of them wear white gloves. They are saluting the Queen, and maybe the people with her. Two policemen are on either side of the frame, and a photographer is on the left.
To me, this image shows the power of the Queen and the respect that all of the uniformed men show her. There is a contrast in that they are very upright and she is very casual.
In response to Kate and Peter: I really like the idea of the contrast. I definitely saw some contrast to begin with, but the opposite contrast to what you talked about. I saw how powerful the Queen was in comparison to the men, not how powerful (physically) them men were to the Queen. I guess this is irony that they are all saluting such a small woman. I think it is interesting to note that the Queen is going somewhere, but from everyone's attitude in the photo, it is a place where she will be an inmportant figure. She is probably not simply attending something, but rather, could be an integral part of the event.
In response to Peter: I really like your point on the contrast between the powerful soldiers and the delicate queen.
In response to alex's blog, I agree with your first comment on how even if the viewer did not immediately know the woman in the center of the picture was the queen of england, the viewer would know the woman was of great importance due to the soldiers salutations and the photographer's taking photos. I also found your observation about the contrasting colors of the attire worn by the people in the photo to be interesting. The majority of the people in the photo are wearing dull colors, while the Queen of England is wearing pink, really emphasizing her importance in this photo.
Post a Comment