Photo Shmoto
The Significance of Photos in General
Perception
By Stacy Douek

Behind the Candid
Most photographs seem
like they have been taken
spontaneously, careful
thought goes into each
element of the photo.
These are the intentions of the photographer. The more a photo looks
like a candid shot, the more it seems that whatever the picture is
portraying is real. This adds “connotation.”

Both Roland Barthes and Frans de Waal both speak of
misconceptions in connotation in their essays “The Photographic
Message” and “The Ape and the Sushi Master,” respectively.
Although these connotations allow for much
interpretation on the viewer’s part, perhaps
this implicit message is manipulating a
connection that is not necessarily there,
rather it is just highlighted by a third party.

The Photo in Question...
These photos have been
placed side by side on
bushorchimp.com, a site
created by Bill Feldspar.
The site’s disclaimer: “I'm not a member of any political party, and I have
nothing in particular against the man. I just think he [George W. Bush] kind of
looks like a chimpanzee."
But the connotation given off is negative, as if to say that Bush is as
mentally competent as a chimp whom, contrasting to de Waal’s
statements, are thought to be simpleminded by the general public.
What if they were seen separately?

Bush alone...
Denotations Connotations
- President -official
-George W. Bush -thought-intensive
As Barthes Says...
“on the one hand, the press photograph is an object that has been
worked on, chosen, compressed…this same photograph…is read,
connected more or less consciously by the public that consumes it to a
traditional stock of signs”
“The Photographic Message,” 19

Chimp alone...
Denotations Connotations
-animal -smart
-chimp painting -able to use
manmade materials
As de Waal Says...
People often think that chimpanzees are “lower forms,” and humans “higher
forms”. This view is called “anthropocentrism”.
“The Ape and the Sushi Master”, 79

+ =
Apart, the subjects each seem intelligent.
Together, the subjects look silly and incompetent.

In conclusion...
Would you have drawn a connection between
Bush and a chimp if it were not pointed out to
you?
To sum...
-Connotation added by photographers and staff manipulate the
audience’s perception
-Third parties can juxtapose the photos in a certain way, adding
yet another layer of understanding and connotation