Image Analysis – Part 1

Image analysis is the process of creating meaning out of an image. The viewer examines components of the image – such as subject, color, placement – and makes a conclusion about the “dominant impression” or overall idea or mood the image is portraying. I taught image analysis in my writing courses, and students really enjoyed it. In this post, you’ll learn how to analyze an image and identify its overall message. I’ll be using the image below as an example.

Basic Elements of an Image

Foreground and Background – The foreground is the “front” of the image; it is the space closest to the camera. The background is everything in the “back.” In the image above, the girl is in the foreground, and the town on the hill is in the background. The water is kind of in the middle-ground area. Whatever is in the foreground is usually the main focus of the image, but the background can be important too. For example, if I take a selfie in Paris, the main focus is going to be me, but the Eiffel Tower in the background is going to be important too. Not all images have a foreground and a background; studio portraits may have a person against a white background, and paintings or pictures of landscapes and cities may not have anything in the foreground. In the image above, both the foreground and background are important; the foreground provides a point of focus, and the background helps set the mood by providing a surrounding atmosphere.

Subject – The subject is what’s in the picture. Images can have more than one subject. When they do, we can characterize subjects as “main subject” and “secondary subject” or as the background. The main subject is usually what’s in the foreground, and it’s usually the main focus of the image. The subject is what you are taking a picture of or painting. The subject is often a person or something else you want to show. In the image above, the subject is the girl. Other subjects include the water and the town. But the “main subject” is not totally clear in this image; you could consider all three (girl, water, town) as subjects on the same level.

Aspects of each subject help to create the overall domination impression of relaxation and calmness in this image. Notice that the water is mostly calm and clean – there are no violent waves or floating debris. The town also looks like a peaceful Mediterranean island town – there are a few lights, but the town is not on fire or being overrun by flooding waters. Also, the lack of clouds suggests it is a nice, clear day. The lack of clouds creates a sense of freedom in the atmosphere, and this helps create the overall sense of relaxation in the image.

Number – Number is the number of items or subjects in the image. In the image, there is one girl, but there are many buildings in the background. Number is really important in this image because it focuses the viewer’s attention and because it creates the division between the foreground and the background. The single girl gets much of the attention and focus, while the buildings in the background blend into each other. The single girl suggests she is at peace (but maybe also a little lonely?), while the multiple buildings blend into each other and don’t steal the focus. There are a few lights in the town, but it’s difficult to see anything specific, so the town mostly provides the background as opposed to another subject of focus. In this image, number works together with size too. The number of buildings helps give an impression of how big and populous the town is; the number of buildings suggests this is a popular resort area.

Placement or Position – Placement and Position refer to where the subjects are located in the image. Examples include in the center, to the left or right, at the top or bottom, or in the corners. In the image above, the girl is positioned in the bottom center. Her position divides the image into equal halves – left and right – and it creates a feeling of symmetry and balance. This feeling of balance and symmetry helps create the overall peaceful and relaxing feeling of the image. Her position on the bottom half also divides the image into a bottom foreground and top background.

The town is positioned at the top half of the image, and the gentle hill also divides the image into a left and right half. But the division is not totally equal. The town leans a little more to the right, and we can see more hills in the background on the left. It’s as if the hill is sort of leaning over a little so we can see what’s behind. The other hills suggest that the town is on a large piece of land; it is not a single island. If the hill were directly in the middle, it may have suggested that the girl and the hill are confronting each other. But the hill’s slight lean somewhat suggests that the hill is bowing down, not confronting the girl. This eases the tension and helps create an overall calm and relaxing (rather than confrontational) feeling.

The position of each building is also meaningful. The buildings are very close to each other. This suggests that the town is a popular beach resort. It may also suggest that the town has some history. The buildings are not lined up in neat rows, so they may have been built without urban planning; each family put up a house wherever it could. The close proximity of buildings to each other also suggests that the town may be crowded. This crowded feeling contrasts with the spacious feeling the girl is probably experiencing, and this helps to create the overall mood of the image as calming and relaxing.

Size – Size refers to how much space a subject occupies in the image. Usually, the larger the size, the more space the subject occupies, and the more attention it gets. In this image, the girl’s size is not very big in comparison to the town and the water, but she is nevertheless bigger than individual buildings, and she occupies almost half of the space in the middle. In contrast, the town occupies the whole top half of the image from left to right, and the body of water also occupies a lot of space from left to right. The town’s size is measured by the number of buildings, and this size helps create a somewhat grandiose feeling which commands some attention.

There is a bit of a tension between the size of the girl and the size of the town and water. The girl’s small size suggests she is not powerful – she is not a hulk or powerful warlord. However, the large size of the town and the water is not a threat. They are silently maintaining their positions, and they are not threatening the girl by encroaching her space. Additionally, the amount of free space around the girl helps suggest a sense of freedom, especially when we think about how crowded the town must be. This sense of space and freedom also helps create the overall atmosphere of calmness and relaxation.

Color – Color creates boundaries between subjects, it focuses attention, it provides meaning, and it sets the mood. In this image, the girl is defined by blue and yellow colors, the town has mostly white and red (and some green at the top of the hill), and the water has a silver, shiny color to it. All of these colors are calm or neutral. The girl’s blue shirt is the most colorful item in the image, but even this blue is more like baby blue or sky blue. In general, blue is a cooling or soothing color, and this shade of baby blue or sky blue is even more cooling; it is not a strong blue. This blue color both draws attention to the girl but also diffuses it. In contrast, if the image had bright red or orange or other “passionate” colors, the image would have been more energizing and powerful. Instead, the cool, muted and blurry colors create a sense of calm.

Light – Light refers to brightness or darkness, and it also carries a lot of symbolism. In general, brighter images suggest happiness and lightness and positivity, while darker images suggest depression, gloom, or fear. In this image, the scene is not bright. The time seems to be a little before sunset – there are no red or orange or violet clouds so the sun has not yet started to set. But the image is a little overcast and somewhat gloomy, so it is not exactly the middle of the day when the sun is bright, plus the girl does not cast a shadow.

Nevertheless, the girl’s blue and yellow colors are definitely bright – they are not muted – and this draws our attention to her. It also suggests that she has a happy, bright spirit and that she is not in a gloomy, depressed mood. In contrast, the town and the water are a little darker. The water is more of a silver, gray color rather than a blue or green color, and it is not reflecting a bright light either. Instead, the water is mostly covered in the hill’s reflection. (In a way, the hill’s reflection is kind of making a connection between the girl and the town, with the water as a kind of facilitator. Perhaps the girl is from the town or longs to be in the town, or perhaps she is trying to soak up the emotional vibe of the town.) Anyway, this somewhat muted light suggests that the atmosphere is being a little “tempered down” – it is not passionate or exciting, instead it is calm and relaxed, and maybe a little philosophical or spiritual.

Overall Impression

Throughout this post, I have been speaking about the overall calm, free, and relaxing mood of this image. I have also suggested that there may be a kind of spiritual connection between the girl and the town because of the way they are facing each other. I created this interpretation by examining each component of the image individually and by building a cohesive interpretation out of similar components. So many aspects of the image suggest a sense of calmness and peace and relaxation, so I am using that as my interpretation of the image’s overall dominant impression.

In my next post, I will show how to analyze images of people, and I will also provide suggestions for how to incorporate information beyond the image, such as the painter’s style and the historical or social context of the image.

Feedback – What’s your interpretation of this image? Do you agree with my analysis? Or, do you see something different in this image that I am missing? Perhaps the girl is lonely, and she feels that there is a chasm or a divide (literally but also spiritually) between her and the town? Perhaps the lights in the town suggest something she has been longing, and she is trying to find a way to reach it? Post your comments and interpretation of the image below.

Lirim Neziroski, Ph.D., MBA is an academic administrator and faculty member with expertise in instructional technology, curriculum development, assessment, and strategic planning.  Contact Lirim for resources and for speaking, consulting, and writing opportunities.