Evaluation.
Whilst Visual Sociology is arguably a study that
is still in its infancy, its contribution to the understanding of society is
undeniable. It has been argued that the
study of the visual “has added unique knowledge to sociology” (Harper 1989: 81). With this in
mind, the project that I produced aimed at improving a sociological
understanding of my local area.
When I started this research it was with an
eye to producing a project showing the role that Wick Harbour
After one session of taking
photographs, it occurred to me that the project was too vague: I couldn’t take
enough photos in one session to reach any conclusions about the role of the
harbour within the town; it is too vast a topic. However, one thing that did interest me a
great deal was the signs that are present at the harbour, something that I
became more interested in as I revisited the photographs and wrote short
comments about them. The final project
was seven photographs of different signs present in the harbour, each one with
a brief comment about it.
There was a certain amount of
personal amusement in this decision – after all, if semiotics was the study of
signs, then this must be semiotics in its purest form! Of course, I do realise that this isn’t how
it really works, but the idea made me smile.
There was another key reason for
choosing to produce the project on signs at the harbour rather than the harbour
itself: I thought there was a link between signs and photographs, as they are
both things that often provide a link between two people who do not meet, i.e.
Person A who takes the photograph and Person B who views the photograph, or
Person A who designs the sign and Person B who views the it. In short, this is a method of encoding and
decoding that we rarely stop and think about.
The importance of encoding and decoding photographs is highlighted in
the claim that “the snapshot is understood as a symbolic form embedded in a
communication process that necessarily includes making (encoding), interpreting
(decoding), and a multi-faceted use of pictures” (Chalfen 1998: 215).
I think the most important aspect
of signs that comes across from this project is just what a considerable
reliance there is on having a shared encoding and decoding understanding, along
with the claim that “visual researchers need to understand both the processes
of encoding meaning in which he or she has engaged, and informants’ approaches
to decoding photographic meaning” (Prosser
& Schwartz 1998: 125). I think that
the best example of this is Picture #7, which shows a road sign. A secure understanding of road signs is
required in order to pass a driving test, and children are often taught to
understand many of them for the Cycling Proficiency Theory Test. The sign on this photograph is therefore
indicative of the continuing socialisation that goes on throughout life in
order to ensure that everyone will understand the intended meaning of a sign,
which could otherwise be decoded in different ways.
The decision of how people choose
to portray themselves on signs was also interesting. For example, the red, white and blue flags on
Picture #6 can be understood to be a metonym for the Union Jack, but it may
also be a metaphor for the United Kingdom
This project also allowed me to
look at the method of advertising used on signs. I mentioned the use of the Isabella Fortuna on the sign advertising
the Heritage Centre, and link that it provides with the past. It is also another good way of understanding
the process of encoding and decoding that is key to the study of semiotics, and
highlights the fact that it is also prevalent in advertising.
The fact that this project went
through a visible process of development, including entirely altering its main
focus, allowed me to explore some of the different facets of Visual Sociology,
a few of which have been mentioned here.
I took comfort in the idea that even professional sociologists have at
times found a challenge in the fact that “the information encoded in
photographs is still far from transparent” (Ball 1998: 137)! However, overall the project allowed me to
make better use of my photographic equipment, as well as encouraging me to look
at my local area in a different way. The
prevalence of social constructs in everyday life is perhaps the most
significant aspect that I will take from this project.
List of References.
Ball, M.
(1998) ‘Remarks on Visual Competence as an Integral Part of Ethnographic
Fieldwork Practice: The Visual Availability of Culture’. In Image-based Research: A Sourcebook for
Qualitative Researchers ed. by Prosser, J. London: Falmer Press 131 – 147
Chalfen, R.
(1998) ‘Interpreting Family Photography as Pictorial Communication’. In Image-based Research: A Sourcebook for Qualitative
Researchers ed. by Prosser, J. London: Falmer Press 190 – 208
Harper, D. (1989) ‘Visual
Sociology: Expanding Sociological Vision’.
In New Technology in Sociology:
Practical Applications in Research and Work
ed. by Blank, G. & McCartney, J.
New Brunswick
Prosser, J. & Schwartz, D. (1998)
‘Photographs within the
Sociological Research Process’. In
Image-based Research: A Sourcebook for Qualitative Researchers ed. by Prosser,
J. London: Falmer Press 115 – 130
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