+

Visual Literacy

+

SalienceSalience refers to the feature in a picture that grabs

your attention

+An image can be

made salient through:

Placement: usually an image becomes “heavier” if placed towards

the top or left

Colour

Size

Focus

Distance

A combination of these things

What is most salient?

What part of this image is most salient?

Why is it most salient?

+Reading Paths

A reading path is the path you take through a visual text. The path moves from the most salient to the least

salient elements

+

Describing the Reading Path

In this image, what path/s does/do your

eyes follow?

+What is the reading path here?

+Vectors

A vector is a line that leads your eye from one element to another

A vector may be a visible line or an invisible one

It can be created by such things as a gaze, pointing fingers or extended arms

+

Explain how vectors work in the following

images

+The Last Supper

+Compositional Axis

The left, is known or given;

The right is new or unknown.

The upper section is ideal;

The lower elements are real.

The Vertical Axis The Horizontal Axis

+Does the theory work?

+

The Centre

Images here are the nucleus information.

The margin images are subservient

+

Framing

Elements in a layout can be disconnected and marked off from each other or connected. If elements are cut off from one another they are strongly framed

+Framing

continued…

Framing can be achieved by borders, discontinuities of colour and shape, or by white space.

Connectedness can be achieved by vectors and devices such as overlapping or superimposition of images.

+ Gaze

Demands and offers.

Demand: subject looks out of the image at the responder

This establishes a connection between subject and viewer

+

Gaze continued

…

Offer: The figure looks away.

The viewer is a detached onlooker.

+Subjective and Objective

Viewpoints The viewpoints come from the vertical and

horizontal angles

Subjective viewpoints encourage the viewer to adopt a certain stance

Objective viewpoints have the viewer not being drawn into involvement with the image.

Meaning comes from the symbolic connection made by the reader

SUBJECTIVE

A high angle gives the viewer a sense of power

SUBJECTIVE

A low angle makes the viewer feel powerless

SUBJECTIVE

A straight on eye level

view creates no power

difference.

+OBJECTIVE

Social DistanceA close up is intimate

A medium shot is close

A whole figure framed is close

A long shot is disconnecting the audience (far social distance)

+Lighting and Colour

Lighting creates mood

Shadows may suggest concealment or fear and despair

Light, hope and inspiration.

Soft light, romance.

Colour can be symbolic

+How is mood created here?

+What effect does colour have

here?

+What is the effect of the use of

light?

+How is light used here?

Modality/CredibilityLowest modality

graphics are the least real.

Highest modality is most real.

Influences On Modality

Idealisation: the image is better than real

Decontextualisation:Components are removed from the expected context and used elsewhere.

Influences on Modality continued…

Modality can be affected by

tricks with perspective