Every Photograph is a Time Lapse

Each time we make a photograph, we are converting the three spatial dimensions plus time into a two-dimensional, temporally static image. We can simulate a third spatial dimension using color and composition to give the appearance of depth. The temporal translation from what our eye and brain show us to a still photo is more involved. 

Humans don’t see either split-second, stop action shots or long exposures. We see a moving picture with a good, but not boundless, ability to see quick moving details. If we really need to know if someone was out of bounds, we must rely on the slow-motion instant replay. 

1/750th of a second

Here’s the mind puzzle, though. That split-second image of an athlete, a bird in flight, or a wave crashing may look like it’s instantaneous. It looks that way because we couldn’t see such short-lived details on our own. Nevertheless, that photograph still spans a period of time. It may have been 1/750th of a second but that is as much a frozen passage of time as a ¼ second exposure that smoothes out a waterfall—or even a 30-second-long exposure that makes waves and clouds blur across the canvas.

1/4 of a second

So, photography is the translation of three dimensions and the passage of time into a time-lapse, two-dimensional image.