It is a nostalgic time right now, and photographs actively promote nostalgia. Photography is an elegiac art, a twilight art. Most subjects photographed are, just by virtue of being photographed, touched with pathos. An ugly or grotesque subject may be moving because it has been dignified by the attention of the photographer. A beautiful subject can

... See more

The news, as @soya_jones notes in his caption, gives us the lowlight reel – the political theatre, the diplomatic posturing, the conflicts that sell views and drive engagement. But behind every headline about sanctions or summits are millions of people living ordinary lives, raising families, sharing meals, helping strangers on two wheels. People... See more

Once photography seemed magical because it could passively inscribe reality and reproduce it; now we demand a different magic from it, it must do something else to still seem powerful. Photos cease to be documents and become prayers. ... The eclipse photo is a picture of being afraid of the dark.

Images of unphotographability Rob Horning 4.12.2024