Preface -- Chapter 1: About Art Criticism: -- Definition of criticism -- Sources of criticism -- Kinds of criticism -- Backgrounds of critics -- Stances toward criticism -- Relations between critics and artists -- Art of criticizing criticism -- Value of criticism -- 2: Describing Photographs: What Do I See?: -- Defining description -- Describing an exhibition: Avedon's "In the American West" -- Describing subject matter -- Describing form -- Describing medium -- Describing style -- Comparing and contrasting -- Identifying internal and external sources of information -- Describing and interpreting -- Describing and evaluating -- Importance of description to readers -- Principles for describing photographs -- 3: Interpreting Photographs: What Does It Mean?: -- Two exemplary interpretations -- About interpretation -- Definition of intrpretation -- Objects of interpretations -- Interpretive claims and arguments -- Interpretive perspectives -- Three interpretations of Eleanor -- Other interpretive strategies -- Combinations of interpretive approaches -- Right interpretations -- Interpretations and the artist's intent -- Interpretations and feelings -- Interpretation, meaning, and personal significance -- Community of interpreters -- 4: Types Of Photographs: -- Categories of photographs -- New categories -- Descriptive photographs -- Explanatory photographs -- Interpretive photographs -- Ethically evaluative photographs -- Aesthetically evaluative photographs -- Theoretical photographs -- 5: Photographs And Contexts: -- Internal context -- Original context -- External context -- External contexts and connotations -- Interpretation of Barbara Kruger's untitled ("surveillance") with contextual information -- Surveillance and internal context -- Surveillance and original context -- Surveillance and external context -- Barbara Kruger's untitled ("surveillance") and the categories -- Descriptive photographs -- Explanatory photographs -- Interpretive photographs -- Ethically evaluative photographs -- Aesthetically evaluative photographs -- Theoretical photographs -- Interpretive process: a summary -- 6: Judging Photographs: Is It Good?: -- Examples of judgmental statements -- Positive judgments -- Negative judgments -- Implied judgments -- Opposing judgments -- Comparative judgments -- Judgments and reasons -- Judgments and criteria -- Different criteria -- Realism -- Expressionism -- Formalism -- Activism -- Other criteria -- Choosing among criteria -- Differing judgments -- Judgments are arguments -- Reappraisals -- Judgments and preferences -- Intentionalism and judgments -- Objects of judgments -- Judgments of Robert Mapplethorpe's photographs -- Hilton Kramer's and Grace Glueck's views of Mapplethorpe's work -- Other critics' views of Mapplethorpe's work -- Conclusion -- Principles for judging photographs.

7: Photography Theory: Is It Art? Is It True? Is It Moral?: -- Photography theory and practice -- Ontological concerns: what is a photograph? -- Digital images and ontology -- Epistemological concerns: are photographs true? -- Realist theory -- Conventional theory -- Photographic truth -- Aesthetic concerns: is photography art? -- Moderinism and postmoderism -- Digital images and aesthetic concerns -- Ethical concerns: are photographs moral? -- Marxist theory and ethical photography -- Feminist theory and ethical photography -- Multicultural theory and eithical photography -- Queer theory and ethical photography -- Postcolonial theory and ethical photography -- Conclusion -- 8: Writing And Talking About Photographs: -- Writing about photographs -- Observing and taking notes -- Quick-writes and careful-writes -- Students' interpretive writings -- Building visual interpretations -- Making personal meaning -- Judging photographs -- Writing criteria statements -- Four student views of immediate family / Sally Mann -- Writing metacritically -- Writing artists' statements -- Processes of writing -- Talking about photographs -- Studio critiques -- Kinds of critiques -- Conducting successful critiques -- Principles for effective critiques -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.