The image I've posted is a photograph of a federally run campground located near my hometown in Northern Minnesota. I stumbled upon a couple photos like this when browsing through the Explore Minnesota website, and it reminded me of my summer job managing campgrounds for the USFS this past summer. As the front desk receptionist I was in charge of dealing with disgruntled campers, and complaints regarding "forest management" (somewhat of an oxymoron in itself).
When reading this image I would say some of the typical representations would include: a beautiful landscape, serene lake, golden sunlit autumn day, uninhabited woods, maybe some boring trees, perhaps a nice place to spend a day of leisure, or maybe just some forest somewhere having no other connection to the viewer than a pretty picture. But to someone browsing through this website the general conclusion drawn from all these signs is "oh that looks like a wonderful place to camp!" And I bet it is...if you know exactly what you're getting into. I can't count the number of angry phone calls I would receive regarding a case of poison ivy, the swarms of mosquitoes and colonies of wood ticks, the annoying night call of a resident owl, the dissatisfaction with bathroom facilities, and once in awhile just the "general dirt" around the campsite.
Every image is an argument, and I really saw that in this particular picture. The viewer interprets the signs and must take a position, which contributes to their own personal being. Whether that be a realistic outlook on nature, or an unrealistic depiction of their internal vision of what nature should be, the conclusions drawn say a lot about that person's culture.
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