Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols - these can be found in the spoken or written word, in the nuances of music or the art of cinematography, within the shapes and curves of sculpture or by the sinewy grace of dance or more particularly in our case the structure of a picture, whether as a painting or a photograph and how these are read. The Reading of the image is the process of discovering the wealth meanings within the frame that occurs when the viewer reacts to the signs and symbols which constitute the picture. The process inevitably involves some shared understanding of what the picture represents. In this way viewers with different social experiences or different cultures may find different meanings in the same image. This is not necessarily an indication of the success or failure of the picture in question. It's only the difference between translation and interpretation.