What is a Gaze?

• Gaze is...

to fix the eyes in a steady intent look often with eagerness or studious attention.

• Direct gaze
  

: is a demand by the subject who looks at us demanding our gaze.

This image and the viewer create a direct connection as the image looks directly at the viewer. A message is strongly conveyed, as the viewer becomes an active participant in a relationship between image and interpretor. Also, something is demanded from the image of the viewer.

• Indirect gaze

: is an offer by the spectator where we initiate the gaze and the subject is not aware of this.

An indirect gaze offers the viewer to interact with the image, but does not give a blatant meaning or gesture to enter the frame. No immediate reaction is demanded from the image, but the meaning can still be persuasive, although are often free of emotion or neutral in sentiment, but can still be informative.

(*image from http://www8.georgetown.edu/centers/cndls/applications/postertool/index.cfm?fuseaction=poster.display&posterID=3718)