A study was conducted to assess the connotative dimension, or imposition of second meaning on the message proper, of newspaper photographs. Forty-three front pages from the "Washington Post" were analyzed, concentrating on the largest or most conspicuously placed photograph on each page. A list of descriptive features was created to cover relevant data for composing a news photo identification card. Four judges rated a subsample of 14 photos according to perceived degree of denotation (informative power) and perceived degree of connotation (affective power) on a five point scale. By comparing the affective power mean scores of the 14 pictures with four descriptive features considered indicators of connotation (size, use of verbal aids, emphasis on nonverbal messages, semantic overtones), it was found that those photographs high in affective power also emphasized nonverbal messages such as conspicuous facial expressions, gestures, or posture conveying a symbolic meaning. The pictures that had the lowest affective power scores did not display such an emphasis. The use of the identification card to describe the 43 photographs in the sample revealed a potential for comparison among pictures, themes, and news photos' conponents. (HTH)