A Long Hard Year

With the advent of the pandemic came a time to reflect - a sabbatical from life.  Luckily I was in a position to sustain it without financial hardship.  Not so for many good people whose livelihood collapsed and with it their dreams of their future.  Our hearts should go out to them. I admit that without the ability to travel my photography took a hit at one level, but at another, I was able to stop and think some more about the camera and the...

Quantum Photography

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The Camera-ready at hand

That enigmatic term 'ready at hand' was a phrase used by Martin Heidegger, the influential 20th Century philosopher, describing the being of tools and other instruments of life.  He noted that when we use things we soon cease to notice them as things in themselves but rather in terms of the functionality they offer us.   Their 'being', their essence is no longer of concern to us - it 'withdraws' behind the veil of presence.  When we lift up a...

Assessment and Heuristics

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Photography, Philosophy and Me

One of the outshots of my research has been my rekindled interest in philosophy and the implications it has for photography.  As I will try to explain in this thread of blogs, there are deep philosophical issues in our understanding of photography and - what is very surprising - grasping those issues actually makes a difference to our photographic practice!  I have taught students over the years the epistemological and ontological bases for...