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The Anthropological approach to visual images is similar the audience studies in that they both concern themselves with site of the audience. However, the similarities mostly stop there. The Anthropological approach also address the actual image itself, which is something Audience studies never touch on. Another difference is that anthropology sees images as objects that are constantly moving around and thus the meanings people see in them change depending on where they are. Audience studies never brings that idea into its research, instead it sees the image as a stationary stimulus which different people will find personal meaning in based on their tastes only.

The image of the Army Helicopter is a photograph which Rose says is a prime type of image to use in the Anthropological approach. However, the photo is purely in a digital form, so the idea that photographs are an object does not apply to this image. Regardless, it is possible to think of this image as a printed copy for use in this approach.

The meaning of an object(physical image) is not determined by a pre-existed meaning, but instead by the way it is used at the moment by the viewer. Thus the meaning of this image can change dramatically if it was hanging up in some person bedroom that liked it for the helicopter, if it was used in a motivational poster, or if it was framed by the bedside of the parent of a soldier present in it. Something that also can effect or change the meaning of an object is recontextualization. This is when an object changes meaning as it is passed through different cultures. This object(image) would totally be viewed different by someone in an European country as opposed to an American, even more different would the meaning contrived by a muslim person in the middle east. An American parent with this object framed on his/her bedside would look at this with a totally different perspective than an terrorist in the middle east using it as target practice. This approach by far does the most justice to the images(objects).