Like the collector, the photographer is animated by a passion that, even when it appears to be for the present, is linked to a sense of the past.
Susan SontagRead
Photographers are always imposing
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that photographers influence or shape the reality they capture through their perspective.
Susan Sontag's quote highlights the inherent power photographers hold over their subjects and the moments they capture. By choosing what to focus on and how to frame their images, photographers impose their vision and interpretation of reality, in essence filtering daily life through their artistic lens. This can raise questions about authenticity and the role of the observer in the aesthetic capturing of life.
Themes
PhotographyPerceptionArtRealityPerspective
In practice
Example use cases
In a photography workshop, to emphasize the artist's role, one might quote Sontag to inspire discussion on perspective.
More from Susan Sontag
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Volume depends precisely on the writer's having been able to sit in a room every day, year after year, alone.
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It hurts to love. It's like giving yourself to be flayed and knowing that at any moment the other person may just walk off with your skin.
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