Many people do not understand why camp is so important to people. They believe it to be just a meaningless place for “outdoorsy” children or a place where parents get rid of their children for a week. Also, many do not realize the life lessons and the benefits that come from camp that create the person these kids turn out to be because of going to camp. What they do not know is what camp truly is to those kids or to the many staff members such as counselors and program directors. Many cannot even begin to understand why staff members spend their entire summer at camp. These people do so to make sure the kids and new staff members have the same life changing experiences as they had and continue to have. This visual text, The True Meaning of Camp by Anna Crittenden, captures what camp is and what it embodies for those who have experienced it. Through the visual text one can see the joy, the friendships, the judgement free environment and more. Through the visual text the reader is able to observe what the first picture is describing and see it transform into a more solemn setting that is described by the last picture. Even through the change the reader is still able to see common themes explained by the first and last photographs and can come up with a conclusion on the true meaning of camp. 

The use of the first and last image help to set the tone and to get people thinking of camp in a different way. These images signify importance to camp because of where they are located. The images were taken at Pretty Place Chapel, a very important place to this camp. It signifies an important place to those who attend Camp Greenville and shows some of the important aspects of it. These images are in a close up frame to emphasize the quotes written on the plaques to force the reader to read it and begin to think of what camp offers to people. The first is placed there to set the theme of happiness. It is showing one of the most important values of camp that many take for granted when discussing the subject of camp. Many believe camp will make kids happy but they do not realize everything it entails. The way happiness comes to people through camp can be explained by the first photo. After this one may see how the happiness is spread amongst those in each setting of each picture. This can be seen even in the more solemn pictures though they are better explained through the last picture. The last picture is being used to show that camp can be a place where you can find a quiet space. The ninth picture shows a quiet setting yet still the people in it are still surrounded by friends that have been created through the bonds of camp. The reader is able to see a tradition of this camp and that those who attend camp are happy and constantly surrounded by friends. The audience may understand through this that someone is always there for you no matter what. 

Comparing all the images to one another the reader can see everything camp embodies through the bright vibrant images and the wide shots that capture the joy, friendships and more. The reader can see the excitement and joy in every person’s eyes in each shot. The reader is able to see that camp is a place that people feel they can always be themselves and not be afraid to try new things. The images picturing dancing, kids running in to the building, and kids jumping out of their seats to be chosen at the campfire all embody the aspect that camp is a judgmental free zone where kids can be themselves with other people. In each picture everyone can be seen having fun and being themselves. The readers are able to close read the visual text and understand that camp is more than hiking, sleeping in the woods, archery, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, etc. They are able to see all the other things involved in camp and why it is so important to so many people.

Focusing on image nine, one can see something they may not have expected from camp. They see a solemn moment for each person in the picture yet they are not alone, which captures an important aspect of camp being friendships. It shows that no matter the situation someone will always be there for you. The picture has a wide frame to incorporate all the people in it proving that there is always someone around the corner for you. It helps to imply that camp is where indescribable bonds are created because of how everyone appears to be there for one another in this image. This image shows the uniformity by showing that no one is ever alone at camp, you always have someone there for you. Other images in the visual text are similar to this because of the multiple people pictured in each image. These pictures help the reader to understand that the friendships created at camp are the strongest and most genuine relationships someone can make. They can see this through the insanity in some of the pictures and how it still translates into moments pictured in image nine. Although friendships seem to be a typical aspect of camp, those who do not experience camp do not know how amazing the friendships truly are. It is shown that everyone is sitting around a campfire and that people are not talking but they are not alone either. In this picture one may see that no one is ever alone, it shows that someone is always there for you when you need to talk. 

The true meaning of camp comes out through this visual text by using different angles of images, close ups of quotes from plaques, and common themes that run through each image. Through this the audience can begin to understand what it is about camp that those who attend fall in love with. These photos help to prove to those that camp has made those who have experienced it who they are today. It shows that those people have indescribable bonds with those that camp has brought into their lives and that without camp these friendships would not be what they are now. The audience can see that camp is something way more than a place to be outdoors or a place to ship your children to. The readers may now understand how unbelievable the experience of camp is, that it is much more than the common stereotype that comes to mind when discussing camp. It helps prove that camp is a second home to everyone that is lucky enough to experience and learn from it. 
