Photographs as Primary Sources
Fine lines:
Documentary and Propaganda
Bias and Perspective
Perspective: we all have it (so do primary sources)! Mix of nationality, race, gender, religion, political views, socioeconomic status, etc.--it's how we see the world. Just because you view the world from a certain perspective does not mean you are biased.
Bias: people (or sources) become biased when no amount of new information (for example, FSA photographs) can change our mind or help us expand our perspective.
Principles of Image Analysis
| Production | Consumption | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Context | Who made the image? When? Why? For who? | Who is the intended audience? How did the audience interpret the image? | What does the image reflect about the time period? |
| Composition | What genre does the image belong to? | How was the image viewed? With other images, alongside text, in a film, etc.? How might this affect the message? | How is the image composed (lighting, frame, perspective, foreground/background, etc.)? How might this affect the message? |
| Technological | What technology was used to produce the image? | What technology was used to distribute the image to audiences? | Are there any visual effects on the image made possible by technology? |
Table adapted from Gillian Rose, Visual Methodologies, 21.
FSA Photographs
By jdauteri
