Freezing Time and Space: Towards a Phenomenology of Photography

It is always puzzled to ask what exactly a photograph is, how it is different from other images, like painting, drawing, engraving or sculpture. It is furthermore interesting to ask what the difference between the photographing act, the process of making or taking a photograph, and other creative acts in painting or drawing is. However, what photography can do is much more intriguing than a merely capturing any experience and event. The ability to freeze time and space of an object in a frame and to re-present it in an image is beyond common experience. No other artistic capacity can achieve this end.