. . . but in terms of their conceptions of what a photograph is: is it a mirror, reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it, or a window, through which one might better know the world?”
John Szarkowski (1978)
The concept of Mirrors and windows is basically about either the image acting as a mirror and reflecting something back about the author in what she has chosen to photograph or a window such as a news image which tells something that is happening in another place and time or perhaps a documentary series based on a specific culture.
In the example: Tina Barney’s work could act as both because she is photographing us a window into another culture different from our own. However, this series is also a mirror, as she is photographing her own family and friends, therefore mirroring herself in the images.
It is argued that “every picture is a self-portrait, or that the cameral looks both ways, meaning that by taking a certain photograph in a particular way you are automatically saying something about who you are.”
Part 3 is going to define these terms from the point of view of the photographer. That is, if the photographer is an insider, we’ll frame it as a mirror; if they’re outside looking in, we’ll frame it as a window.
You may wish to challenge these notions in your responses to exercises and assignments. That’s fine, as long as you use effective strategies and critical analysis to back up your point and give reasons for your methods and intentions.
