Semiotics

The word semiotics meant nothing to me until i found out it was the study of signs, a code that helps us communicate. Signs are used in a variety of ways such as words, gestures, architecture and even photography. For example we associate a lily with death and a rose with love. So what about a black rose? Would we assume that love is dying?  If someone is photographed in soft light we would generally assume that the person is sensitive or emotional and harsh light with high contrasts of shadow speaks for itself. A good example of this is Anna Gaskell's work.
 


 

How you interpret an image depends on your background and your culture. When I saw this image I thought that it was of a woman who had entered a beauty pageant, mainly because of the banner that goes over her shoulder and the way she appears. The man makes it look as if they could have been prom king and queen. So I was surprised to find out that they are in fact Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel Westling of Sweden. This just proves how we see something and interpret it completely different to someone else. I’m sure there would be plenty of other people who would have said something different to me where either they guess the right answer or not. My judgement was on what I see on TV and in the media.

http://www.crhfoto.co.uk/crh/semiotics.htm
http://faculty.washington.edu/dillon/rhethtml/signifiers/sigsave.html