This is what I found to help make sense of visual rhetoric. I don't know if any of you will be able to open it, but here's the link if you want to try:
http://www.jstor.org/stable/466134?seq=1
It's all about how photojournalism is inspired by rhetoric. The authors address instances such as an immigrant mother, the Challenger explosion, people living during World War II, and others to make their point. They provide pictures to explain how facial expressions displayed in a picture can inspire empathy within a person.
I received an ad in the mail from the Democratic Party on Friday. Actually, I've received many ads, but one in particular was the only one I've actually looked at closely. The front depicts a woman sitting on the floor, her arms folded over her knees, in a seemingly dark and desolate room. On the back it says something to the effect that Dennis Rehberg doesn't support abortion even if it kills the mother. I felt so tricked! From the front of the ad, I couldn't even tell it was political. It made me feel totally bad for this woman, whom I've never met and is probably an actor for the photoshoot. Nonetheless, it still made me feel so sad for her. This ad is the epitome of visual rhetoric to me - a visual image communicating a message without words, just tugging on your heartstrings a little bit, or in this case, a lot!
I really wish I had a picture of this ad to post on here, but alas, I am on campus. When I get home, I will try to remember to take a picture and upload it to here so you can see what I'm talking about.
*Update* Here's the picture of the political ad I was talking about
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