Elahe Abdolahabadi

Iranian, lives in Neyshabur, Iran

Edition 2018 - Finalist

 

An instant of time and place

 

A photo is a section or a cut of reality, it is the result of the selection process in the photographer’s mind. His/her selection determines which parts of reality should be seen by the observer. In consequence of this selection, other probable choices will be omitted. In photography, there is always the possible existence of another choice. However, the photographer’s choice becomes an engagement…a choice that can represent realities and meanings differently from what they are. These realities can change the perception of one photo or can even influence the content of it.

 

Gradually, it became obvious to me that one photo can be a signifier to a signified` existence in a distinct time and place. In front of the camera, a photo cannot dictate anything about another signified existence in the same time and place. In order to illustrate the uncertainty, I took a Russian panorama camera for my photo series. The common element of all these photos is a white screen with people standing in front of it. The white screen and the subject in front represent the common frame and the photographic choice, the area around it shows the reality that observer is deprived from seeing while facing the photos. My photos are an invitation to see other realities and the context from which a photo originates.

 

Elahe Abdolahabadi