Abstract
A photograph’s meaning is constantly shifting and changing because of who looks at it and the context in which it is viewed. This essay discusses the relationship between photographer, photograph, viewer and context as an inseparable relationship that makes meaning. The process of meaning making is explored through several types of photography, starting with a historic photograph from an archive. Landscape architects gather and investigate several types of photographs to create knowledge around any design project. The process of investigating, and landscape architects’ unique skills in being able to deeply investigate photographs is discussed. The concepts of original and external context are introduced and applied to everyday practices for landscape architecture. The idea that past, present and future is read by landscape architects in photographs is also discussed.