Abstract
Photography has been my trusted companion and a means for contemplation since 1964. At first, my practice was naive, focusing on the snapshot and family album genres, with little understanding of why I was taking pictures. After earning an undergraduate degree, 25 years after taking my first photo, and later a graduate degree, my approach became more purposeful. The discovery of a photograph album by Nina Weiste, a North Dakota woman, made in 1917, greatly influenced my thinking. Although I have never met Nina, her photographs sparked a search that became deeply personal. They provided a lens through which I could explore how memories are constructed and reinforced, allowing me to extend that understanding to my relationship with photography. My study highlights the unique connection between the photographic image and ideas like time and reality, and how these concepts have shaped my growing appreciation for photography as a method to reflect on the nature of existence.
Presenters
Roddy MacInnesProfessor of Photography, School of Art and Art History, University of Denver, Colorado, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2026 Special Focus—The Image as Advocate: Shaping Cultural Conversations
KEYWORDS
Photography, Time, Reality, Memory
