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"At close
distance, we would suggest, the object is shown as if the viewer is engaged
with it… Unless the object is very small, it is shown only in part, and
often the picture includes the user's hand, or a tool… "At middle
distance, the object is shown in full, but without much space around it. It
is common in advertising: the advertised product is shown in full, but from
a fairly close range, and a steep angle, as if the viewer stands just in front
of the table on which it is displayed. "At long
distance there is an invisible barrier between the viewer and the object.
The object is there for contemplation only, out of reach…" (Kress
and van Leeuwen, 134) 
Advertisers traditionally place elements on the page based on two observations
on the way the eye reads a page. Because we read from left to right, layouts
tend to focus on the upper left corner (where the eye starts) and the lower
right corner (where the eye finishes reading). Many advertisements place the
product or logo in the lower right corner, hoping that placing the product
at the last area the eye reads will create a lasting impression.
Other traditional advertisements place emphasis on the optical center, or
the area upon which the eye tends to naturally focus. This area is about one
third from the top of the page and one third from the left edge. (For more
information on product placement, refer to V&S 44-46.) **This page still
needs work (Peter)**
Product size
Kress and van Leeuwen notice that the proximity of the camera to its subject
reflects a particular social relation between the photographer (and the viewer
of the photograph) and the photographed (see Unit
12). The closer an object is to the camera, the more intimate and interactive
the social relationship becomes.
| References | |
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Kress, Gunther and Theo van Leeuwen (1996). Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design. London: Routledge, p. 134 |
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