Art: Recorded Time

The theorem that "the camera cannot lie" is one banality which no self-respect-ing photographer ever repeats. Unless a camera is skilfully used it can produce mechanical lies on the negative, and in many kinds of light or shadow even expert photographers do not yet know how to reproduce what they see. Under the best technical circumstances, moreover, a photograph tells precisely that fraction of truth allowed by the camera's brief interval of exposure and limited field of vision. This fraction may be very slight or very great, depending on the photographer's luck,...

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