![\"\"](\"http:\/\/pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca\/digitaldisabilitystudies\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/300\/2021\/11\/Activity-label-300x100.png\")
\r\n\r\nIt is important to develop and apply critical analysis skills to the stock photography we encounter in our everyday lives.\u00a0 For this activity navigate to a mainstream stock photography website such as Shutterstock (https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/<\/a>) or Unsplash (https:\/\/unsplash.com\/<\/a>). Use the following questions to guide you as you critically analyze a stock photography website of your choosing.\u00a0 As you work through an analysis of your own, flip the prompt cards over and compare your answers to those in the sample analysis.\u00a0 How are your own answers similar?\u00a0 How are they different?\r\n\r\nPlease note that the analysis offered in the flipcards of this exercise centers the stock photography website Pexels (https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/<\/a>) and speaks to the images found when searching the website with \u2018disability\u2019 as the key term.\u00a0 You may find similarities and differences between stock photography websites.\r\n\r\n[h5p id=\"17\"]<\/code>\r\n\r\nNext, let\u2019s take five minutes to explore some stock photography websites that were created to increase the representation of disabled people.\u00a0 Some examples include Affect (https:\/\/affecttheverb.com\/<\/a>) and Disability:IN (https:\/\/disabilityin.org\/<\/a>).\u00a0Answer the following questions and then click 'check' and 'show solution' to see some sample responses. Just a heads up that what you write here does not save anywhere, so if you want to save your answers, copy and paste them to an external google doc or word document.\r\n\r\n[h5p id=\"18\"]<\/code>\r\n\r\n[h5p id=\"19\"]<\/code>","rendered":"![\"Background](\"http:\/\/pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca\/digitaldisabilitystudies\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/300\/2021\/11\/Background-label-300x100.png\")
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Stock photography offers an opportunity to think about image and representation in commercial contexts. What sorts of bodies attract and lure someone into a stock photograph and the content it supports? In the context of capitalism and commercialization, what types of bodies are considered \u2018marketable\u2019? The idea of \u2018marketability\u2019 can be dense and theoretical, but you are touched by the \u2018politics of marketability\u2019 in your daily life. Perhaps the related concept of \u2018branding\u2019 rings more of a bell. Have you encountered the phrase \u2018sex sells\u2019? If so, you have had an encounter with the politics of marketability and clear branding choices. In this case, physical attraction and \u2018sexiness\u2019 are being used to sell a product, a lifestyle, and a brand. In speaking about branding businesses, a recent Forbes article states \u201cyou can appeal to people\u2019s emotions through branding and make them feel more connected to your company. Branding allows you to build relationships with your audience, which can eventually turn them into loyal customers\u201d (Jones, 2021).<\/p>\n
\n- How are disabled people, their bodies, and identities mobilized to send a message, and what message(s) do disabled people and their bodies send?<\/li>\n
- What emotions do the bodies of disabled people elicit?<\/li>\n
- How do audiences shape their relationships with brands that use disabled people in their photographic branding?<\/li>\n
- Are disabled people seen as an asset or hindrance when it comes to building connections in branding and marketing?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
These are large questions that cannot be fully unpacked in a single Pressbook.\u00a0 However, we can walk through some analytical skills and learn to be more critical consumers of images.<\/p>\n
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It is important to develop and apply critical analysis skills to the stock photography we encounter in our everyday lives.\u00a0 For this activity navigate to a mainstream stock photography website such as Shutterstock (https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/<\/a>) or Unsplash (https:\/\/unsplash.com\/<\/a>). Use the following questions to guide you as you critically analyze a stock photography website of your choosing.\u00a0 As you work through an analysis of your own, flip the prompt cards over and compare your answers to those in the sample analysis.\u00a0 How are your own answers similar?\u00a0 How are they different?<\/p>\nPlease note that the analysis offered in the flipcards of this exercise centers the stock photography website Pexels (https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/<\/a>) and speaks to the images found when searching the website with \u2018disability\u2019 as the key term.\u00a0 You may find similarities and differences between stock photography websites.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n