Perception and Imaging

Dr. John Suler is Professor of Psychology in the Science and Technology Center at Rider University. He has published widely on images in creativity, personal identity, psychotherapy, and interpersonal perception. As a longstanding member of online photo sharing groups, a founder of the new discipline known as cyberpsychology, and author of the groundbreaking book Psychology of the Digital Age, he specializes in research on the experience of images in social media. Dr. Richard Zakia, Ed.D., Professor Emeritus at the Rochester Institute of Technology, taught in many areas of photography and served as chair of the Fine Art Photography Department and Graduate Program in Imaging Arts. He was recipient of the Eisenhart Outstanding Teaching Award and author of twelve books on photography. Dr. Zakia passed away in 2012 and has been greatly missed by many, especially the Focal staff.

Contents Preface to the Fifth Edition Acknowledgments 1 Selection Ganzfeld FigureGround FigureGround Boundary Graphic Symbols Similar Concepts to Figure-Ground Graininess and Noise Resolution FigureGround Enhancement The Bigger Picture of Figure-Ground Notan Visual Search Camouflage Negative Space Noticing Negative Space The Role of the Frame Strategies for Using Negative Space Viewpoint and Camera Angles Key Words Notes 2 Gestalt Grouping Field Theory and the Gestalt Laws Proximity Proximity, Area, and Contrast Side-by-Side Images Temporal Proximity Proximity and Learning Similarity Similarity of Shape Similarity and Repetition Similarity and Proximity Symmetry and Asymmetry Symmetry and Redundancy Symmetry in Graphic Symbols Continuity Continuity in Typography Continuity in Sequences Closure Closure and Nonclosure Closed Areas The Zeigarnik Effect People as Participants Gestalt Critique Words of Caution Captions, Copy, Gestalt Pragnanz Pragnanz as an Overarching Principle Order and Complexity A Summary of Gestalt Principles Key Words Notes 3 Memory and Association Types of Memory From STM to LTM Body/Somatic Memory Verbal Memory Visual Memory Color Memory Unconscious Memory Association Equivalents Associations in Advertisements Props (Signifiers) Associations to Color Synesthesia Rebuses and Pictograms Onomatopoeia and Simile Metaphors Semiotics Iconic, Indexical and Symbolic Representation Semiotics in Analyzing and Designing Ads Semiotic Operations Conceptual Photography Is Conceptual Photography Art? The Concept in Conceptual Photography What Does It Mean, and to Whom? The Sender, Channel, and Receiver Concept Difficulty Creating Titles and Descriptions Symbolism, Metaphors, Similes, and Anthropomorphism Composition and Post-Processing Techniques The Pretty and Ugly Factors Forward and Reverse Engineering Educational Applications Conceptual Advertisements Key Words Notes 4 Space, Time, and Movement Space The Perception of Depth Anisotropicity Rule of Thirds Golden Section and Fibonacci Numbers Aspect Ratio and Cropping Convexity/Concavity Transparency Time and Movement Eye Movement in Composition The Rhythm of Repeating Elements Gradation Blur Multiple Exposures Motion in Stillness The Decisive Moment Capturing the Unique Fleeting Instant Candid Shots of People in Real Life Visual Coalescence Figure/Ground Relationships The Gap and Anticipating Closure The One Hit Wonder Creating and Losing Oneself The Hour Leading to the Decisive Moment The Myth and Reality of the Decisive Moment Photo Key Words 5 Color Color Notation Systems Munsell System Pantone CIE System CIE Chromaticity Diagram Luminance (Value or Brightness) Naming Colors within the CIE Map Color Gamuts (Color Space) Color Perception The Visual Field Flare Desaturates Colors Color Test Chart Color Reproduction Subtractive Color Additive Color Complementary Colors Color Is a Chameleon Constancy Metamerism Simultaneous Contrast and Assimilation Color Dependency Phosphors and Pointillism Color Modality Color Temperature Color Names Color and Synesthesia Synesthesia and Photography Color Connotations Color versus Color Neutral Colors Black and White Photography B&W as the Origin of Photography The Absence of Color B&W Photography in the Digital Age Selective Color Key Words Notes 6 Contours Common Contour Playing with Depth Perception Activating an Image Subjective Contour Mach Bands Visual Vibrations Photographic Edge Effects Acutance Film and Digital Sharpness Cornsweet Effect Development The Psychology of Being Sharp The Beauty of Blur Key Words Notes 7 Illusion and Ambiguity Trompe lOeil Space, Time, and Color Illusions Geometric Illusions Reversibles Time (Movement) I