(If you're new to the site, please read
Unphotographable.)
Why do you do this?
I'm a photographer and writer, but I'm not the kind of photographer who prefers looking at life through a lens. If we take photographs to remember, what do we do when we're not taking photographs?
When did you start this?
I started Unphotographable on a trip to Ethiopia in 2004. A friend suggested I leave my camera behind, that photographing in some of the Muslim communities I'd planned to visit wasn't the wisest, most culturally-sensitive idea. On the trip there was so much to see, and capturing it through words felt like the best approach. Unphotographable was born; a place to gather the moments when I didn't click the shutter.
Press:
Please see the Press Page.
Installation:
Unphotographable was installed as part of "Command Z" at the Torrance Art Museum in 2007. The installation consisted of a grid of nine framed "unphotographs" with a corresponding laminated gallery guide. The guide supplied the text for the nine framed pieces on the wall.
Do you take submissions?
In the early days, I published a reader's submission or two, but I don't plan to publish any in the future.
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What is this? Unphotographable is a catalog of exceptional mistakes. Photos never taken that weren't meant to be forgotten. Opportunities missed. Simple failures. Occasions when I wished I'd taken the picture, or not forgotten the camera, or had been brave enough to click the shutter. |
 
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Why do you do this?
I'm a photographer and writer, but I'm not the kind of photographer who prefers looking at life through a lens. If we take photographs to remember, what do we do when we're not taking photographs?
When did you start this?
I started Unphotographable on a trip to Ethiopia in 2004. A friend suggested I leave my camera behind, that photographing in some of the Muslim communities I'd planned to visit wasn't the wisest, most culturally-sensitive idea. On the trip there was so much to see, and capturing it through words felt like the best approach. Unphotographable was born; a place to gather the moments when I didn't click the shutter.
Press:
Please see the Press Page.
Installation:
Unphotographable was installed as part of "Command Z" at the Torrance Art Museum in 2007. The installation consisted of a grid of nine framed "unphotographs" with a corresponding laminated gallery guide. The guide supplied the text for the nine framed pieces on the wall.
Do you take submissions?
In the early days, I published a reader's submission or two, but I don't plan to publish any in the future.
copyright 2004-2009 Michael David Murphy
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