Theory of Micro-Phase Differences “The Present” and the Multiplicity of Perception in Photography Kyoto University of the Arts, Graduate School of Arts Department of Art Studies, Photography and Moving Image Yoshiro Shinkawa 1. Introduction — Is There Only One “Present”? We ordinarily think of the “present” as a single temporal point. The past has already passed, the future has not yet arrived, and only the present exists as what is actually present. But does the present that we actually experience really exist as a single point? For example, suppose that we photograph a landscape in front of us. The photograph appears to record the moment at which it was taken. Yet, by the time we look at the photograph, the moment of exposure and the moment of viewing have already become different. Furthermore, a certain amount of time is required for the light emitted or reflected by the object to reach the camera. Thus, in the act of viewing a photograph, multiple temporalities are involved: ...
