In an effort to practice terminology related to visual rhetoric and its function, we analyzed various different pictures in class.
My submission to this activity was the image above: a picture of downtown Chicago at sundown, possibly taken from one of the many bridges in the city.
Having had lived there, this picture holds emotional value to me, even if I didn't personally take it. However, I think it's important to try to see an image as how it is presented first as opposed to how it makes us feel.
First, the modality is probably the easiest one to identify - a photograph.
Second, the verisimilitude of this image is high because it is a photograph of the real Chicago, not a reproduction or drawing. None of the elements in the picture have been altered in any way.
Lastly, we have to ask ourselves: what is the claim that this picture is making about the world?
This is the broadest concept because different people might have different representations. A classmate said "Chicago looks pretty at sundown". Someone else might think "This picture is glorifying/magnifying the Trump Tower" as the angles clearly point to the middle of the picture. The strong illumination of the Wrigley Building might make some others think that this is what the picture is emphasizing, as the light seems to be creating a path that leads to it.
Interpretation is subjective, however, I think we can all agree when I say that based on this picture (and not on my profound love for Chicago, of course) Chicago is a very beautiful city and sundown only serves to intensify its beauty.