Camera obscura Quote by Lev Manovich
“During photography's first decades, exposure times were quite long... So, similar to the drawings produced with the help of a camera obscura, which depicted reality as static and immobile, early photographs represented the world as stable, eternal, unshakable.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Language of New Media, 2001
Early photography captured a static, unchanging view of reality, reflecting a belief in permanence before motion became central.
In simple terms: Early photos showed a stable, eternal world.
Key Takeaway
Recognize how technology shapes perception of time.
Themes
technology
art
history
perception
Mood
analytical
reflective
Type
historical
theoretical
When to use this quote
- museum curation
- historical research
- digital archiving
- educational curricula
Key Concepts
media theory
visual culture
temporal representation
Questions to Reflect On
- How does this view affect modern visual storytelling?
- What does permanence mean in today’s digital age?
A Different Perspective
Later media emphasize change, challenging static notions.
![“... what is faked [by the computerization of image-making], of course, is not reality, but photographic reality, reality as seen by the camera lens. In other words, what computer graphics have (almost) achieved is not realism, but rather only photorealism - the ability to fake not our perceptual…” quote by Lev Manovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0f1/lev-manovich-41544_ability_what-is-faked-by-the-computerization-of_753083.jpg)
