Activity 2

‘To quote out of context is the essence of the photographer’s craft. His central problem is a simple one: what shall he include, what shall he reject? The line of decision between in and out is the picture’s edge. While the draughtsman starts with the middle of the sheet, the photographer starts with the frame. The photograph’s edge defines content. It isolates unexpected juxtapositions. By surrounding two facts, it creates a relationship. e edge of the photograph dissects familiar forms, and shows their unfamiliar fragment. It creates the shapes that surround objects. The photographer edits the meanings and the patterns of the world through an imaginary frame. This frame is the beginning of his picture’s geometry. It is to the photograph as the cushion is to the billiard table.’

       - John Szarkowski

John Szarkowski   The Steerage

1. When John Szarkoski said "out of context" he referred to misreading pictures. In some cases the picture won't tell the full story and it can be misleading. For example, this picture known as, The Steerage, was taken of a boat leaving America for Europe. However, most people thought this was a picture of the Titanic leaving for America.

Edgar Degas   Woman Combing Her Hair

2. Above is the photograph, Woman Combing Her Hair, towards the end of the century his pictures made a huge impact on the public. One might think that the naked risqué picture shocked the public, but in reality the public had seen many nude works of art. The thing that impacted the people was that the subject was calm and didn't have to pose.