Scale

P. writes: “How do I work out, being a novice at reading photos, how big the subject is... if there is nothing to give it a sense of scale.. and the lens used isn’t stated?...”

Scale’s a big topic. We usually know how big things are because we’ve grown up with them and have a feel for the relative sizes of insects, pets, people, cars, houses, trees, mountains. If we don’t recognize a given object we look for something nearby that we do recognize, which is why archaeologists put yardsticks in their pictures. Some photos intentionally confuse the viewer by eliminating reference objects and by showing small things at a level of detail we associate with larger things. These days we’re inured to such simple tricks as enlarged fleas, but if it’s delicately done an image without referents and with plenty of detail can be subtly disorienting, so the subject seems to live in a dream space where everything looks too good to be true. There’s irony in that, since the unreal feel comes from the use of real detail. It’s like getting drunk on a gallon of water.