Critical Thinking - Viewing

1. Critical Thinking - Viewing

2. Critical Thinking through Viewing • Images are created to communicate • Most are created to communicate quickly • Advertisements, signs, etc. • Others require contemplation • Mona Lisa

3. Critical Thinking through Viewing • It is important to actively view images • Survey image • See image as a whole • Look at focal point (your eye will be drawn to this) • Consider relationship between foreground & background, the content, & colors • Inspect image • See every part of image • Hints can be anywhere (tiny details and/or image parts)

4. Critical Thinking through Viewing • It is important to actively view images • Question Image (think about each part of image) • Sender (creator, why was it created) • Message (subject, purpose) • Medium (originally shown form; current form) • Receiver (intended viewer, why you are viewing) • Context (first appear, appears now, relation to context)

5. Critical Thinking through Viewing • It is important to actively view images • Understand purpose (what is image meant to do) • Arouse curiosity (open imagination, stay on guard) • Entertain (pleasure or joke, be wary of excess or questionable material) • Inform or educate (key instruction, note omitted material) • Illustrate (relate to words/concept illustrated, clarify or distort) • Persuade (appeal to viewer needs, manipulative, clichéd, fallacious, play on emotion) • Summarize (essential message, main idea correspond with what is written)

6. Critical Thinking through Viewing • Chris Krenzke, published in school writing handbook, aimed at teaching specific word usage by entertaining (survey, inspect, question, relate)

7. Critical Thinking through Viewing • Interpret image • Immediately follows viewing • Determine what image is designed to do, say or show • Requires deeper thought about each element along with complications

8. Critical Thinking through Viewing • Interpret image • Sender (who created it & why) • May be unknown or a group • Message (subject, how portrayed, main purpose) • May be mixed, implied, ironic, unwelcome, distorted message • May be vague, unfamiliar, complex, disturbing subject • Medium (what is image) • May be unusual, unfamiliar, multiple • Receiver (who it was created for, relationship to sender, agree with message, comfort, overall response) • May be uninteresting, unfamiliar, or stem bias • Context (first presented, currently, fit or fight) • May be disconnected, ironic, changing, multilayered

9. Critical Thinking through Viewing • Interpret image • Bazuki Muhammad-photographer • Thais release candle balloons during a mass for victims of Indian Ocean tsunami to remember those who died, but move forward with hope • Digital photograph • Intended viewer: anyone • Current viewer: students/instructors • Part of series provided for global newspapers

10. Critical Thinking through Viewing • Evaluate Image • Assess quality, truthfulness, & value • Consider purpose • Ornamentation (pleasing to eye) • Illustration (supports text) • Revelation (inside look or new data) • Explanation (clarify a complex subject) • Instruction (guides through complex process) • Persuasion (influences feelings or beliefs) • Entertainment (amusement)

11. Critical Thinking through Viewing • Evaluate Image • Evaluate quality (how good it is) • Prepared with skill • Measure up to standards • Compare to other images like it • Shortcomings (gaps, twists, clichéd or fallacious) • Better way to approach subject (improvements) • Determine value (tangible & intangible worth) • Worth viewing (enriching or enhancing) • Visual appeal

12. Critical Thinking through Viewing • Evaluate Image • Purpose? • Quality? • Value?

13. View, Interpret, & Evaluate Images Remember sender, message, medium, receiver, context discuss how each photo impacts you and society