Whatmighttheyhavethoughtofwhattheysaw?WastheCinéma-
tographesomethingfamiliarandagreeableorradicallydifferent?What
effectwouldithaveonphotography?Whatpurposemightitserve?Was
itcompetition?Wasitanoveltyorwoulditlast?Andwhatwasthemean-
ingofthatmomentwhenLouiswasphotographedandthephotographer
wasfilmed?Itpassesinsecondsbutitsenigmaremains.Wasitafriendly
affirmationthatphotographerandfilmmakerwereessentiallythesame,
orarealizationofprofounddifference?Wasthiscinemaaffirmingadebt
tophotographyordistancingitself?Thequestionsmusthavebeenfelt
acutely.Whatevercuriosityortrepidationthephotographersexperienced
astheywerefilmedwouldhavebeencompoundedastheywatchedtheir
encounterplayedbackinrealtime.
Ofcourse,wecantracethedepictionofmovementinimagesasfar
backaswelike,viatheperceptualrevolutionswroughtbyrailwaytravel,
opticaltoys,theatre,panoramasandnarrativepainting,backtotheshadows
flickeringonthewallofPlato’scave,butthereisnoparticularorigin.
TheLumières’filmisagoodenoughplaceforustobeginhere.Notonly
wasitthefirstmeetingofphotographyandcinema,itwasalsoameeting
thatseemedtotakeplaceoncinema’sterms.Thisbookisathearta
reflectiononwhatcinemahasdonefor,orto,stillphotography.Itlooks
attheinfluencesofcinema–aesthetic,intellectualandtechnical.Itlooks
attheinfluenceofthemovingimageonthesocialfunctionofphotographs.
Itlooksatquestionsofcinematictimeandmotionandhowtheyhave
reconfiguredphotographicstillness.
FromOnetotheOther
Photographyhasbeenmoredispersedthananyothermedium,including
film.Almostfromthebeginningitwasputtouseacrossthespectrum
oftheartsandsciences.Infact,itspreadsoquicklythatgettingagrip
ontheparticularnatureofphotographysoonproveddifficult,andithas
remainedso.Howcanoneuniteunderasingleidentityimagesasvaried
aspassportphotos,advertising,topographicstudies,familysnaps,
8 medicalrecords,newspicturesandpolicedocuments?Facedwithsuch
1 ArrivéedescongressistesàNeuville-
sur-Saône[ThePhotographicCongress
ArrivesinNeuville-sur-Saône].(Louis
andAugusteLumière,1895),frame.