A photograph can be both a visual record and a fine art. Its meaning is shaped by the photographer's point of view and the background we bring to it.

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?
• What other questions might I ask?