Descriptive Photographs: Photos that fall into the descriptive category are not necessarily up for artistic interpretation or to express emotion or personality, wether it be of the person taking the photo or the subject that is in the photo. Descriptive photographs are meant to be evaluated in a very straight forward and accurate manner. For example, a descriptive photo could be an x-ray. These type of photos show the viewer exactly what they are looking at. The only interpreting you would do when looking at an x-ray is looking for injuries or bone issues. You would not interpret an x-ray in the way that you wonder what the deeper meaning is, or what the person taking the photo or subject is subtly trying to convey. Besides medical reasons, descriptive photographs can be used to show things that we cannot always see, from complex photos of planets and space, all the way down to photos of sexual harassment in the streets of a busy city.
Explanatory Photographs: Explanatory Photos are similar to descriptive ones in the way that they show and help prove things, but are also very different. They differ in the way that the photos show the viewer something that they cannot quite figure out or explain. For instance, these photos can be used to explain the way humans walk, the way in which a horse's hooves hit the ground, or used for compilations over a large period of time to study the sociological elements of how a culture lives and evolves. Explanatory photos are used for the purpose of evaluation, helping the photographer and their viewers come to (or to support) a final conclusion on a subject he/she is curious about. In all, these photos are simply used as a visual explanation.
Interpretive Photographs: These types of photographs are often very expressive in terms of who is taking the photo. The photographer will often "Stage" or direct a scene that he/she is taking a photo of in order to convey a certain message or emotion that they want to express. This is a good example of the "mirror vs. windows" theory that was talked about earlier in the reading, as interpretive photos often showcase the more artistic side of the photographer, and the messages they want people to see. These photos are often very surreal, and most likely would not be seen in every day life. Most are fictional and are left for the viewer to interpret the meaning, which is not always just one single "correct" meaning or message.
Ethically Evaluative Photographs: These photographs are very interesting because they are a mix of explanatory and descriptive photos. These pictures sometimes convey scientific evidence about something that happened in the past, but also can be left up to personal interpretation. Most often, the photographer will take the photos with a certain ethical stance in mind. The photographer is passionately involved in their work with these photos, and can often exhibit some brutal photos. Fro example, these photos can show the terrible effects of drug addiction, or even the hardships of the industrialization period. When viewers see these photos, they often left feeling a certain emotion, wether its happy or sad, which can quite possibly lead to changed in whatever is being photographed due to light being shed on something that is not always talked about.
Aesthetically Evaluative Photographs: These are the photographs that most viewers are familiar with, as they capture beautiful things in flattering, beautiful ways. The subject matter of these types go photos are endless, but the most popular is nude, landscape, and still life. When it comes to nude photos, they do not necessarily show case the person and praise who they are, but showcase and portray a certain part of the body. Faces are not always included in the shot, and the body part/entire body may not be perfect. As for landscape, the photographer might shoot a portion of nature to convey the artists fascination with the landscape, and may include some signs of human presence or intrusion of the land. Lastly, still life photos are often shot to show the natural beauty in how they were found. Interestingly enough, artists may also move and rearrange objects to portray the most amount of beauty they can on the object. It is important to note that the subject of these photos is not limited to these three categories, and it ultimately comes down to the aesthetic the photographer is trying to capture.
Theoretical Photographs: These photos are often used to convey images about photography or different media and art forms. For example, Cindy Sherman constructed an exhibition on how women are portrayed in media. These type of photos are, in all, a visual art critic. If photographers see an issue in the industry they want to talk about, or want to critic a certain aspect of an art form, they can express that through these type of photos in a visual way. Photographers are often concerned with philosophy, theory, and medium when taking photos of their subject. Theoretical photos are often more conceptual, and can be centered around one issue or message.
