Seeing is believing -or is it? In an era of digital-imaging technology, can photographs still be considered truthful or realistic? Photography and Philosophy takes an up-to-date look at the issues of photographic truth, objectivity, and realism. It tests the limits on what can ethically be done with a camera and examines the fundamental differences between photographic and non-photographic artwork.
Unlike the numerous texts devoted to the subject of Film Theory, this collection contains essays specifically about the art form of Still Photography and the broader theoretical questions it raises. Written by contemporary philosophers in a thorough and engaging manner, it is an excellent resource for students studying aesthetics or fine arts and photography.
Scott Walden is Visiting Scholar in the Philosophy Department at New York University. His interest in photographic theory emerges from his training in philosophy and his practice of photography. His philosophical work has been published in the British Journal of Aesthetics, and his photographic work in his recent book Places Lost: In Search of Newfoundland's Resettled Communities (2003).