Picture-taking is a technique both for annexing the objective world and for expressing the singular self. Photographs depict objective realities that already exist, though only the camera can disclose them. And they depict an inspanidual photographer’s temperament, discovering itself through the camera’s cropping of reality. That is, photography has two antithetical ideals: in the first, photography is about the world and the photographer is a mere observer who counts for little; but in the second, photography is the instrument of intrepid, questing subjectivity and the photographer is all.
照相是一种既兼并客观世界,又表达独特自我的技术。照片描绘业已存在的客观现实,不过只有造相机才能揭示这种客观现实。照片反映个别摄影者的气质,这种气质是通过照相机剪裁现实而显示出来的。那就是说,摄影术有两个相互对立的观念:第一,摄影术是反映世界的,摄影者只不过是无足轻重的观察者; 第二,摄影术是无畏探索的主观性的手段,摄影者决定一切。