Title
Capturing shadows : on photography, causation, and absences
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Australasian Journal of Philosophy
Publication Date
2017
Volume
95
Issue
2
First Page
256
Last Page
269
Publisher
Routledge
Keywords
photography, causation, shadows, absences
Abstract
Many photographs seem to be images of absences: for instance, a photograph of a shadow seems to be an image of an absence, as shadows are plausibly thought of as being absences of light. Absence photography is puzzling, however, as, first, it is a common idea that photographs can only be images of things that have caused them, and, second, it is unclear whether absences can cause anything. In this paper, I look at various ways to unravel the puzzle. Along the way, I also hope to cast some light on the idea that photography is a causal medium.
DOI
10.1080/00048402.2016.1197957
Print ISSN
00048402
E-ISSN
14716828
Funding Information
The research has received funding from The Swedish Research Council [Dnr 350-2012-6582]. {Dnr 350-2012-6582}
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2016 Australasian Association of Philosophy. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Additional Information
Ancestors of this paper were presented at The London Aesthetics Forum; at the universities of Uppsala, Glasgow, Stockholm, and Lingnan; and at the workshop ‘Philosophy and Photography’ in Ovronnaz.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Pettersson, M. (2016). Capturing shadows: On photography, causation, and absences. Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 95(2), 256-269. doi: 10.1080/00048402.2016.1197957
