A Semiotic Photograph may be thought of as a triadic sign comprising:
The signifier
The signified
The Interpretant
The syntax of semiotic photography is the relationship between this triadic sign and the formal structure, the ‘language’, of photography. Composition, colour, focus, satuation, lighting, symbolism etc.
Syntagmatic relationships are the relationships between the elements within the photograph ( or series of photographs) which combine to signify a particular meaning.
Pragmatics of semiotic photography focuses on the interaction and interrelationships between the signifier/signified (the dyadic sign) and the interpretant. Thus the interpretant is an integral part of a semiotic photograph, it cannot exist without interpretation.
Therefore:
A semiotic photograph is a photograph designed expressly to convey meaning. The study of meaning as conveyed by photographs is Photographic semiotics.
Three basic kinds of signs:
- Symbolic, ( words, diagrams, pictures) where the relationship between signifier and signified is arbitrary and based on social conventions.
- Iconic, where the signifier resembles the signified, a portrait for example.
- Indexical, The signifier is caused by the signified. Smoke, the signifier is caused by fire, the signified. An empty pupal case as a signifier for a butterfly, or even for ‘freedom’.
Donotation and connotation.
EG a photograph of a red rose denotes a type of rose, a flowering plant, the connotation is romance or love.
Many photographs are actually Iconic signs where the purpose of the photograph is to be a representation of some object or place, these are not specifically or generally semiotic photographs, the meaning is simply a representation and no language, formal structure or convention is needed by the interpretant to understand it. This type of photograph may be called ‘documentary’.
Deliberate symbolism is rarer in photographs ( excepting, of course in advertising) and is more what I would like my own semiotic photography to be about. Using arbitrary symbols based on cultural or social convention, such as words to denote the signified and requiring an interpretant to have any meaning. Using syntagmatic relationships between the elements of the photograph that combine, deliberately or accidentally to convey meaning. Intertextuality is an important component here, that is the semiotic reference to other images ( which may be iconic or documentary).
In the 21st century, modern sign systems are controlled principally by mass media who therefore it can be reasoned control the construction of and our interpretation of reality. My semiotic photography seeks to capitalize on and yet negate the need for this method of constructing personal actualities, which can hopefully open up new avenues to creativity and originality as well as a new paradigm for the understanding of photographic content.
