I often wonder if we really understand the meaning of a photograph? How many photos do you look at and just think, nice shot, or look that is interesting, and flick to the next one. I am reminded of a photo entered in a comp here on AP a while ago where the photographer had a completely different view of the photograph than most people who commented mainly because they were all commenting on a technical level rather than a human level.

If you watch just about any photography documentary there will be commentary on what the photo means, what it tells us, what we can learn about the subject etc. But can Joe public see this, indeed can we see this for ourselves? I often have a photo that I see in a particular light only for most others to simply gloss over it.

I think we miss the point 99% of the time!! So if we miss the point, is it because the photo simply isn't telling the story? Or is it because we are exposed to so many images every day that we are over-saturated and no longer have the ability to really "see" a photograph? Or is it something else?