A photograph is a paradox: it’s an attempt to freeze a moment in time, but it only shows us a version of that moment.*

a photograph is

a representation of reality
- or at least a version of it

an interpretation of reality
- which has a certain subjective quality to it

an illusion of permanence
- it only exists at a precise instant

a photograph is a visual echo of what was

Reality is always be just beyond our reach.
Reality is elusive.

… every detail in the frame matters because the viewer will naturally assign meaning to it.

* … taken from a conversation with ChatGPT on January 25, 2025