The first photographs were thought of as marvels because, far more directly than any other form of visual image, they presented the appearance of what was absent.
John BergerWhen making a photograph I am less concerned with "reality". What interests me more is to find the afterimage, or "shadow image" we have of it - photography is, for me, a research on time, perception, and memory, and it therefore has also a very tight connection to absence.
A photograph is more than just an image – the seductive beauty of photographs is slowly vanishing in today's world, replaced by the ever-glossy screen. All that is left of photographs, is images. A true photograph is a magical evocation, and the artistic and material quality of the print contribute in equal measure to the transformation of the subject into something more than just itself. The laborious processes from the very early years of the history of photography are part of my alchemy to conjure up vanished memories, the magic of presenting "the appearance of what was absent".
Photographs are thus primarily objects on paper.
The photograph must be silent: this is not a question of discretion, but of music.
Roland Barthes