Photographs and time

Thursday 30 June 2011This is more than 13 years old. Be careful.

A few recent interesting photography things caught my eye, all having to do with photographs and time.

Dear Photograph has a simple idea: take an old photograph, and take a picture of it in its original setting. Then write a message about it. Many of the results are quite touching, as people revisit the past and express their feelings about seeing the old in a new setting. Something about reaffirming that the “back then” is actually “right here” is very powerful.

Cinegraphs are almost still photos, they have just a small accent of motion to make them pop to life. They have the beautiful composed quality of still photos, but with that little spark that motion adds.

Peter Funch makes interesting composite photos. He photographs the same city location over a long interval, then composites similar subjects into one photograph, so that a busy street corner seems to be populated only by yawners, or people wearing red, or children, or manila-folder-bearers.

Of course, a simple snapshot carries with it the notion of time, since it stops time when the shutter is clicked, so that we can examine it later. That’s the whole point. Here’s my wife Susan and I on our honeymoon 27 years ago. Happy anniversary, Susie!

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