Explanatory Photographs

The above photograph is an example of an explanatory photograph taken be Ray Demski, like those of Eadweard Muybridge this photograph shows the visual explanation of a female volleyball player performing a jump serve. Muybridge was the first person to photograph a trotting horse in sequence to show that a trotting horse did in fact have all four hooves off the ground at the same time. Muybridge offered a visual explanation of how a horse moved with his sequence of shots. Ray Demski also offers us that same explanation of movement with this photograph. I also feel because of the artistic way each movement is either faded or in full opacity this photograph could fall under the Interpretive photographs category. Yet because this photograph has more of a scientific representation of how this individual moved I felt as those it fit better in the explanatory category. Ray Demski does a superb job in visually detailing how not only the individual moves during the whole process but visually shows how the ball travels as well. The way the ball travels and the shapes it takes during its course of travel remind me of Physicist Harold Edgertons photographic study of how bullets move and change shape when that bullet strikes a hard object. “Most explanatory photographs deal with subject matter that is specific to a particular time and place.” (Criticizing photographs: An introduction to understanding images; Fifth Edition; Pg 79) This photograph is also an example of that as well, time and place can mean a great many things but the sandy beach and the coastal background is an example of the place which the photograph was taken. The volleyball players’ outfit also is an example of the time period in which the photograph was taken as well. Another example of time in this photograph would be the time of day it was taken so that the photographer could capture the most details in the way the volleyball player moved. This photograph like so many other photographs fall into multiple categories, yet because you can see the steps in sequential order of how this individual moves when doing a jump serve and the somewhat scientific manner it depicts those movements it falls into the explanatory photograph category. Explanatory photographs are often made to be reproduced in books, magazines and newspapers. I can see this photograph as a magazine spread which is another reason I feel as though it fits into this category.