Empty Frames
The Empty Chair Is Not an Empty Photograph
An empty chair photograph can direct attention through framing, contrast, and scale. Learn to shape the image while…
All the pieces
All pieces
Read the full collection of Desertion Photography, from empty frames and image traces to missing context and the afterlives of photographs.
Image Traces
Shadow or Reflection: Two Different Kinds of Trace
Shadow or reflection: learn to read these distinct photographic traces, infer what each can suggest, and avoid…
Lost Context
Before the Caption: What a Photograph Cannot Tell You
Before the caption, a photograph can show visible details but leave names, causes, dates, and relationships uncertain.…
Looking Again
The Crop That Makes a Picture Look Certain
Compare a photograph’s crop with wider versions to see how framing changes relationships, identify the source of each…
Image Afterlives
A Quiet Photo-Viewing Break on a Commute
A quiet photo-viewing break on a commute can reveal what a saved image leaves out, helping you notice absence without…
Our point of view
Absence is part of the picture.
A photograph can show what is missing as clearly as what remains. Looking closely makes room for more than one reading.