It’s Magic…

Atlas. 2026

Since its beginnings, Photography has always been like magic, be it the actual process in a darkroom, a location no one has seen before, or a technique like the one pictured here . But once people know how, the mystery is no more, and it’s no longer ‘magic’.

I have always thought every image should have a some mystery and make the audience work a little. The problem these days with online platforms is that most want a quick return and are not willing to spend any time looking, but rather move onto the next thing.

Growing up in the 80’s magic shows in the UK were extremely popular as were the big time magicians in the USA making buildings disappear while getting eaten by Tigers. As a kid I loved magic, in particular card tricks. One particular trick would stay with me, mastered over several years to the point where I could fool most people. At college I would sometimes perform the trick (usually after people had a few drinks which always made the trick more convincing). After every performance there would always be those that insisted I tell them how their card ended up in their pocket, or stuck to the bottom of their shoe. I never told them and even lost friends in the process. And so it is with photography (maybe not loosing the friends part). But despite being magic, photography is, and always will be, a lie.

I have no problem with photographers manipulating their images, they can do what they like. The problem I have is when they try to convince others that an image is a single frame (as opposed to a composite of ten images), or the Milky Way really was over the Statue of Liberty, or the sunset really was that color.

If you want to keep the magic, all you need to do is say nothing..