The Language of Vision

The American photographer Walker Evans believed that a photograph could capture a moment with cultural resonance while also going beyond specificities to evoke a state of mind. Similarly, Alfred Stieglitz used the word equivalents to title images he made of clouds, positioning them as metaphors for psychological or emotional states.

How do we harness the power of metaphor in our own work to create a photograph that embodies an emotion or state of mind? When writers or poets want to evoke an emotional reaction from their readers, they combine images and objects to establish relationships that evoke that emotion. They draw upon the language of vision. 

Documentary filmmaker and photographer Maria Finitzo is first and foremost a storyteller, and in her new online workshop, we study the work of photographers who understand how to construct images that operate on multiple levels—learning, in the process, methods for accomplishing the same in our own work.

As we explore this rich subject, we strive to create images that are purposeful, precise, and fresh. When not making our own photographs, we discuss images and review the work of fellow participants. Join Maria and challenge yourself to take an expanded approach—poetic and transcendent—to the practice of photography.