A photograph can be both a fine art and a visual record, but it is never entirely objective. A photographer has a point of view and makes visual choices (time, place, perspective, color and lighting) for a purpose or to make an argument.

We view a photo from our own frames of reference, shaped by cultural and personal meanings. To "read" and evaluate a photograph, ask:

• What do I see (observations)?
• What might it mean (inferences)?
• How does it make me feel?
• Why might this photo have been taken?
• What might be the photographer's intent (e.g., to persuade, analyze, record or document, or as an artistic expression)?
• What is out of the picture? What might be missing?