In today's Lenswork podcast, Brooks Jensen bemoans the fact that there appear to be few or no websites devoted to discussing the meaning of photographs. Tons of sites about techniques and equipment, but none playing the role of "internet docent," a tour guide to help place photographs in context. He argues that without context, our understanding of any particular photograph may be superficial. Personally, I don't believe this is always the case; some photos literally speak for themselves. But what about ones like this? How much context is necessary for a full appreciation? Do we need more than just the title? There seems to be some danger of limiting a work because it may be that too much context might become interpretation. This is a slippery slope. In the end, Jensen says that perhaps we as artists have to be our own docents, that it's up to us to place our work in a context that makes it easier to understand and appreciate.
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