Photography After Photography
Photography, since its invention in the 19th century, has been a testimony of time, a capture of the instant that, in its materiality, connects us to the past. However, in the digital era, photography has radically changed its essence and function. The phrase “photography after photography” invites us to reflect on what remains of the photographic image once it has lost its physical anchoring and has been absorbed by the incessant flow of data and screens.
Today, photography is no longer just a record of the visible world but a manipulable, ephemeral digital construction, often detached from any reference to reality. With advanced editing tools and the omnipresence of artificial intelligence, the boundary between the real and the fabricated has blurred. Post-photography, a term coined by Joan Fontcuberta, describes this phenomenon in which images are generated, transformed, and shared incessantly, stripping them of their uniqueness and materiality.
Social media has accelerated this transformation. Photography is no longer an object treasured in a family album or a gallery but content that circulates, is quickly consumed, and is replaced by new images in a matter of seconds. Collective memory has become fragile, as images are seen, forgotten, and replaced at a dizzying pace.
However, this change has also opened new artistic and communicative possibilities. Photography after photography is not only about loss but also reinvention. Artificial intelligence and augmented reality have taken the image to previously unthinkable dimensions, allowing photography not only to document but also to create alternative worlds.
In this context, the fundamental question is: how do we redefine truth in a world where every image can be altered? Photography after photography challenges us to be more critical of what we see while exploring new forms of visual expression that technology offers us. The future of the image is not in nostalgia for photographic paper but in the ability to understand and use these new tools creatively and reflectively.
© Manoel T, 2025