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Observable Surfaces

Still lives and landscapes by Richard Renaldi, with a short excerpt from an interview about truth in photography

These pictures originally appeared in the 2014 VICE photo issue.

We interviewed some of the photographers from this issue about the idea of truth in photography. Below is a short excerpt. Watch a video of the full interview by subscribing to VICE's iPAD edition.

Richard Renaldi: I am a photographer who uses photography.

VICE: You use a large format camera.

Richard Renaldi: I do, primarily, yeah.

An 8x10. I would say that your work is documentary style" right?

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Yes, it’s based from basically what I am seeing in the world and engaging with.

These are are photos of the real world, but I understand you are not interested in being a photo journalist.

I am not interested in being a photo journalist. It’s just not my way or style of working. Think that there’s just something really quick about photo journalism and constantly moving. I’m more interested in just slowing down that process. I think my work is much about looking inward as it is about looking outward. Even though I photograph things, I think part of me is in those things. !

Can photographs be truthful?

The photograph is no more representation of truth than the human eye. Interpretation is always a big part of it. Context, editing, what’s being shown what’s being chosen, you’re cropping out a whole world of truth when you’re pointing your camera.

Exactly!

I mean, we’re making choices with our eyes, what to look at. So how that can be represented as an absolute, I don’t think it’s possible.

Find out more about the 2014 VICE photo issue