What, in your view, makes photographs unique as an art form?
I think it is the frozen reality, the instant record of an event, the "precise" flat record of a part of the world around us since 1840. We can see objects, people, nature as they actually look like, the art is there when seeing it triggers the mind thinking process.
Photograph and time:
Any photograph is taken in the present. What does it mean? When we look at a picture, we see a past of something which could not be repeated. The photograph is a window into the past of the world which is not same as before. It was a strange feeling to see "first" photographs from 1840 by Talbot, really there were significant changes in the space? What changed are objects, fashion architecture maybe, but the human being and nature look same.
What we mean by 'photographic image'?
We have a digital version of photographs which we can see everywhere especially on a PC screen when we use the internet. Anything which looks as real image is considered as it was a photograph. Even a realistic painting can be considered it is a photograph. There is another thing to be considered, and it is a manipulation. It is a photographic image as well.
Is there a difference between a printed photograph and digital image?
It is an interesting question, I think the printed photograph is a real object build by a matter instead of a digital image which is constructed by a screen. We can see printed photograph by natural light, the digital image we can see only if there is the electricity. I like the idea that printed version is an object of a paper, layers of mixed paints. Both versions are projected through our eyes on the retina and translated to the mind.
