Illusions, Manhattan. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
Illusions, photographed on a Manhattan street in winter.
This photograph may not be quite what it first appears to be. First hint? I made “this photograph” on the streets of Manhattan on a very cold winter day. Perhaps you are now looking a bit more closely. Possibly you have noticed that odd white area on the woman’s face and wondered what it is. If you looked very closely at the scene you may have noticed a few other incongruities. I hope you wondered about the nature of the borders at the top and bottom of the image.
“All photographs lie.” This is a line I repeat frequently when certain ideas about photographs and photograph arise. I’ll admit that the statement is a bit of a cheap shot, but I say it to provoke some folks to think differently about photography, particularly the notion that it is real or that being “real” is it primary purpose or goal. The “lies” in the photograph I present here are on multiple levels, and I’ll mostly leave you to ponder them on your own.
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.
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