What is Photography? An Introduction

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Photography is always changing. Chameleons in the community of images, photographs may take many forms—from unique metal plates coated in delicate silver to strings of computer code reproduced millions of times.

As pictures, photographs are capable of exacting precision or indulgent abstraction. Their representation of the world can be direct or imagined and they can communicate boundless ideas.

What is Photography?” asks artists, editors, curators, theorists, and technicians to reflect on the meaning of photography today. Their answers range from the universal to the personal. We assess each on its own terms, considering its source and the path that led to it. We are not seeking a singular definition. Rather, we cast our nets ever wider, revealing the sheer breadth of photographic practice and usage across the globe.

At its heart, “What is Photography?” is a portrait project. It’s not only about photography; it is photography. And through photography, we hope to understand the individuals featured in the series better and garner a sense of what unifies the greater community of image makers.

While we wanted to create portraits that reflected the many personalities comprising the series, we also desired aesthetic unity. All portraits were made in the beautiful natural light offered by Penumbra Foundation’s Highlight Studios, they include the same hand-painted backdrop from Oliphant Studios, and were created using the Hasselblad medium format system. In addition to these constants, a monochromatic palette was chosen to thread the series together.

John Harris (left) and Cory Rice, self-portrait

Over the next several months, we will present one portrait per week, one definition per week. Join us as our conversation grows, with the regular addition of some of the most interesting voices in photography today.

What Is Photography? Let's Find Out!

Hasselblad Oliphant Studios Highlight Studios

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