WK3. Semiotics

At first glance if you have never come across the term 'semiotics' before, it can appear to be very daunting whereas it shouldn't be.  We have been doing our whole lives, it is simply the study of signs and how meanings are made.
Two models which try to explain what makes up a 'sign' can be seen in the theories written by linguist Ferdinand de Saussure and philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce.

Peirce says that 'we think only in signs' and 'nothing is a sign unless it is interpreted as a sign.'  He believes that it it is logic and it is 'capable of learning by experience.'  - Basically meaning that we read signs in certain ways because of our previous knowledge of similar subjects and begin to relate them to familiar ideas and conventions that we know about.

Saussure has a different opinion when trying to explain peoples understandings, suggesting that each sign consists of a 'signifier' and a 'signified'.
SIGNIFIER - (Material aspect) ; What we physically see, the form which a sign                                                 takes.
SIGNIFIED - (Mental aspect) ; What we learn or interpret, the concept which it                                             represents.

For example:
If you see this 'open' sign it is a signifier and the signified code that is then generated in our heads is that we can enter the shop because it is open for business.



I had already learnt a bit about semiotics before and also understood the terms denotation (non-coded iconic message) and connotation (coded iconic message).
The difference between them being, denotation is what you can see whereas connotation is what you understand by what you see.

IN PHOTOGRAPHY YOU CAN NEVER MAKE SOMEONE BUILD A SPECIFIC OPINION ABOUT SOMETHING WHICH THEY MIGHT NOT KNOW, IT IS ALL BASED ON THEIR OWN KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCES - THIS IS WHY AUDIENCES READINGS OF IMAGES VARY SO MUCH.