This essay, written by John A Walker (2009) provides useful information about this subject, something I need to get to grips with when writing up my blogs for assignments.

The following are notes I have made as a result of reading this text:

A wedding photography can be in several places, a family album, on the wall in a house or in the shop window of the photographer, in a local newspaper – with each shift of location the photograph is recontextualised and as this change happens so does the meaning.

Most critical analyses of photographs concentrate on their immanent structure ie. their internal relations (part to part and part to whole within the framing edge)

Context is an important determinant of photographic meaning, it continues to influence our perception

When the word “context” is used, it should be really be qualified in order to make it clear which of the several different types are being referred ie architectural, media, mental, socio-historical etc

Recontextualisation dosent usually produce a redical transformation of its depicted content – but merely different parts of the image are emphasised (appear to be important) in different contexts – so it’s whole meaning is modified, enhanced or given a new significance.

However, if an image enters into a montage relationship with either a caption, text, another image or a particularly potent display text, then a “third effect” meaning can be generated from the juxtaposition which was not apparent in the photo when in isolation

Photography has created a rapid global reproduction through the internet today, from one cultural context to another, this has lessened the importance of architectural or physical display context.

Meanng is crucially influenced by moment of production, but the meaning may change as the photograph enters into relationships with new circumstances and audiences. The life of an image as well as it’s birth need to be considered. The words “circulation” and “currency” as it moves through time and space from one context to another. It may then be archived and then be re born and used again in the future.

The mental set or context – the “beholder’s share” is about how everyone has a different relation to the same image according to the different places they occupy in socieyt, age, gener, race, age, class, nationality, religion etc

In opposition to this there is an opposing view to this where there are large groupings of people who do see images the same way and this is referred to as pictoral stereotypes otherwise the mass media would simply find communication impossible. Pictorial stereotypes inhabit us, they don’t just exist external in the world of mass media.

Text that accompanies imagery does try to force or impose a meaning on the audience but this can be opposed, such as the women’s movements.

Context is often a troublesome determinant of meaning for artists because it is so often out of their control. Left wing imagery is designed for certain audiences in mind to exercise control over the messages to the most receptive of audiences. The mental context is carefully considered.