Aesthetic Scanning: Another Way to Look at a Photograph

The four steps of 1. describing, 2. analyzing, 3. interpreting and 5. judging are often used to critique a work of art. Here is another system, aesthetic scanning, a process of discussing the qualities of an artwork. There are five categories:

1. Sensory qualities refer to the art elements including -- line, shape, texture, color, space, value.


2. Formal qualities refer to the principles artists, designers, and photographers use to help compose their images and manipulate the viewer’s attention – balance, unity, emphasis, contrast, rhythm, variety, proportions.


3. Expressive qualities refer to meaning, use of symbol, feelings they evoke, memories they invoke, or reactions they provoke etc.


4. Technical qualities refer to the method and use of materials-- lighting, density, focus, field of vision, depth of field, lens, ISO settings & film speed, etc.


5. Judgmental qualities refer to the viewer's sense of the value of the work – after considering the previous five steps, what criteria do you use to evaluate the impact or importance and how well does this image measure up to those standards?