Making Peace With the Brutal Math of Photography

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A collage of three black-and-white photos shows circus performers practicing: a woman juggling with shadows behind her, three men preparing backstage, and a man juggling pins in front of a patterned curtain.

A camera projects an illusion of authority. It is easy to mistake the act of framing for the act of creation. We expect the lens to function as a paintbrush, assuming that technical mastery guarantees dominion over a scene. The prevailing mythology insists that vision alone bends reality, and that a trained eye can summon permanent order from spontaneous chaos. The vagaries of the environment dictate otherwise. 

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from PetaPixel

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