Interpretation of Photographs
Senior 2 · Geography and Environment
Interpretation of Photographs
Lesson 2 of 2
20 min
A photograph does not come with labels. To interpret it you must spot the features, name them correctly, and then explain how they are connected. That last step is what geographers are really paid for: seeing boats on a beach is observation; explaining why the boats are there, and what that tells you about how people earn a living, is interpretation.
Physical features are natural: relief (hills, valleys, plains), drainage (rivers, lakes, swamps), natural vegetation, and signs of weather and climate. Human features are made or shaped by people: buildings and settlements, farms and crops, roads and paths, boats, bridges, factories, and planted trees.
Step 1: type. The scene is viewed from above at an angle and the horizon is visible, so it is an oblique photograph taken from a high point.
Step 2: physical features.
Step 3: human features.
Step 4: relating the features.
Notice that every statement in step 4 uses because, so or suggests. That is what turns a list into an interpretation.
Tip
Exam technique. Write "suggests" or "probably" when you infer, because a single photograph cannot prove a climate or an economy. And always give the position of each feature: "fishing boats (left foreground)" earns more than "boats".
Solution: Headland and bay are physical. The building is human. The banana plants are human too: they are a crop planted by people, even though they are plants.
Solution: The bay is sheltered from waves by the headland, so boats can land and moor safely.
Solution: A warm, wet climate, shown by dense green vegetation, tall trees and banana plants, which need rain and warmth.
Solution: Fishing, shown by the many fishing boats on the shore. (Farming, shown by the banana plants, is also acceptable.)
Summary
Sources and credits
Written by Ganzaa. The photograph is in the public domain (CC0); the interpretation is Ganzaa's.
