Episode 1 - The Essence of Photography
- ynkhlee
- Oct 30, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 11, 2025
The Traditional Characteristics of Photography:
Discovering the Essence of the Image on Garosu-gil
Prologue: A Photograph Before the Photograph
The scene I encountered while walking along Garosu-gil was a coincidence, yet it encapsulated the essential characteristics of photography within a single frame. At the very moment a traveler took a commemorative selfie in front of a giant billboard of BLACKPINK’s Jennie — the most fundamental traits of photography overlapped within this ordinary act.
1. Indexicality: The Evidence of Existence
The most fundamental nature of photography is indexicality — what Roland Barthes called “that-has-been (ça-a-été).”This image demonstrates three layers of indexicality:
First layer: My photograph itself is evidence of a real moment that occurred on Garosu-gil.
Second layer: The traveler’s photo on the left will serve as evidence of their journey and experience.
Third layer: The massive billboard image of Jennie also testifies to her existence in front of the camera at a certain point in time.
2. Framing: The Act of Cutting the World
Photography is the act of selecting and defining boundaries within an infinite reality. In this image, I:
Framed the street scene in a horizontal composition,
Focused on the relationship between the billboard and the people,
And excluded the rest of Garosu-gil beyond the frame.
Interestingly, the traveler on the left is also creating their own frame — perhaps a vertical one that captures their friend and part of the billboard.
Framing is both the photographer’s gaze and worldview. The moment we decide what to include and exclude, we create meaning.
3. The Decisive Moment: A Fragment of Time
Henri Cartier-Bresson defined the “decisive moment” as the instant when visual, psychological, and symbolic elements align perfectly. In this photograph, the decisive moment lies in:
The traveler on the left raising their camera,
Their friend on the right striking a pose in front of the billboard,
The spatial composition of the two figures and the giant image of Jennie.
A second earlier, the traveler might not have lifted the camera yet; a second later, the photo might already have been taken.This precise moment alone captures both the act of photographing and being photographed. Photography freezes a single slice of flowing time for eternity.
4. The Layers of Reality and Representation: Images Within Images
The most fascinating aspect of this photograph is the coexistence of multiple realities:
Primary reality: Garosu-gil itself — real people and physical space.
Represented reality: The billboard image of Jennie — a previously captured reality.
Re-represented reality: The traveler’s photo that includes both themselves and the billboard.
Meta-representation: My photograph encompassing all of these acts.
5. Scale and Space: The Meaning Born from Contrast
The overwhelming scale of the billboard versus the smallness of human figures reveals a core aspect of modern visual culture:
Jennie on the billboard: A colossal, perfectly lit, and retouched commercial image.
The travelers in reality: Ordinary human size, under natural and unpredictable light.
This imbalance visualizes the power and influence of images in contemporary society. People no longer need to meet celebrities in person; they instead create indirect connections by taking pictures with their gigantic images.
Spatially:
Foreground: The texture and light of the street.
Middle ground: The interaction between the two travelers.
Background: The massive billboard.
These layers of depth compress three-dimensional space into a two-dimensional plane while preserving a sense of volume.
6. Photography as Cultural Practice: The Meaning of the “Proof Shot”
This scene illustrates a defining point of 21st-century photographic culture. The “proof shot” — a photo taken in front of a specific landmark or object as proof of one’s presence — is a modern practice that inherits photography’s oldest function.
Just as 19th-century travelers posed before the Pyramids, modern visitors now pose before K-pop billboards.
The social functions of photography:
Tool of memory: “I was there.”
Expression of identity: “I like this.”
Social communication: Content to share on social media.
Cultural participation: Joining a popular phenomenon.
7. Light and Materiality: The Physical Essence of Photography
Even in the digital age, photography remains an art of light. In this image:
Natural light illuminates the street.
Artificial light makes Jennie’s billboard glow.
The contrast between these two lighting textures highlights the divide between representation and reality.
The billboard image was created under perfectly controlled studio lighting, while the real scene unfolds under unpredictable daylight. This duality of light emphasizes the boundary between the constructed and the real.
8. The Ambivalence of Photography: Objectivity and Subjectivity
Photography is simultaneously objective and subjective.
Objective aspects:
The camera recorded a real scene that existed on the street.
Light passed through the lens according to optical laws.
It is an unmanipulated documentary image.
Subjective aspects:
I chose this specific moment among countless others on Garosu-gil.
Composition, timing, and framing were my decisions.
My interpretation shapes the image’s meaning.
Susan Sontag wrote,
“To photograph is to frame, and to frame is to exclude.”Every photograph reveals as much as it conceals.
Epilogue: A Single Image Containing the Essence of Photography
Within this one photograph are condensed the essential traits of the photographic medium:
The indexical trace of reality
The framing that selects and constructs the world
The decisive moment that freezes time
The multiplicity of representation
The meaning created by scale and space
The cultural function of photography as social practice
The materiality of light
The intersection of objectivity and subjectivity
For both beginners and seasoned photographers, even the most ordinary street scene can hold the essence of photography. What matters is how you see and how deeply you think.
Before you lift your camera, or after you press the shutter, ask yourself:
What does this photograph testify to?
Why did I choose this frame?
Why is this moment decisive?
What kind of reality does this image represent?
A photograph is not merely one of many fleeting records —it reflects a way of seeing, thinking, and relating to the world.
© Garosu-gil, 2023
Location: Garosu-gil, Seoul Theme: The Traditional Characteristics of Photography — Indexicality, Framing, Decisive Moment, and Layers of Representation
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