Attending a talk by renowned postmodern photographer Jeff Wall yesterday, I was astonished to hear him explain his philosophy. In contrast to every other photographer, he deliberately leaves his camera at home, and lets interesting visual moments pass by, uncaptured. Then in his own time, distanced from the original event and place he will reconstruct his impression of the essence of the scene. Much as I admire his work, I can't help but wonder whether the conventional approach would work just as well. Given that his audience aren't privy to the workings of his mind, when we see one of his photos we can't be sure if we're looking at an impromptu scene, chanced upon by the photographer, or something elaborately constructed.
Check out this marvellous creation for an example of his work.
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