The Thing Itself

The Tether of Reality

In an upcoming Beyond The Lens (Apple, Spotify) “Books That Matter” episode, I break down and discuss The Photographer’s Eye, written by John Szarkowski in 1966, a seminal book on the art of photography.

He begins the first section with what he calls “The Thing Itself.”

Though written 60 years ago, the thing itself echoes loudly still today. Perhaps more than ever before. It begins with this fundamental idea:

Photography begins with the world as it actually is.

To some, that may sound old-fashioned. Maybe even out of step with what photography has become. But that statement matters more now than it has in decades, because we are talking about reality here.

Most visual artists invent. Painters invent. Illustrators invent. Graphic designers invent. Sculptors invent. They all begin with a kind of blank slate. An empty canvas. A space where anything is possible, because nothing yet exists.

Photography is different.

Photographers select.

Photographers choose from what already exists in front of them. They frame, isolate, exclude, and interpret. But they don’t create from nothing. They begin with something real. That distinction is not academic. It is fundamental.

Because it means photography is always tethered to reality.

No matter how abstract or conceptual a photograph becomes, it still makes a quiet but powerful claim: this existed. This existed in front of a real human with a camera and lens. Light touched it. Time passed. A moment occurred. Something real was here. That claim is unique to photography, and in 2026, with editing software and AI capable of generating entire worlds from nothing, it feels almost radical to have to say it.

There is also an unspoken expectation placed on photography that doesn’t exist in other art forms. When you stand in front of a painting, it doesn’t matter whether the scene existed, whether the event ever happened, or whether the subject was real. It might matter intellectually, but it doesn’t define the work.

With photography, it does.

The viewer arrives with an expectation of reality. Or at least of origin. That this image represents something that was once real, even if it has been interpreted, stylized, or abstracted. Only photographers are bound by that expectation.

When a photographer lets go of that tether, when they cross what I call the threshold of believability, something breaks. An unspoken trust is violated. The viewer may not articulate it, but they feel it. And once that trust is broken, the emotional connection collapses with it.

The image may still function as art. It may succeed as graphic art, illustration, or visual concept. But it is no longer a photograph. That matters.

AI-generated imagery is not photography and it never can be. Not because it lacks beauty or power, but because it lacks origin. Photography isn’t threatened by AI-generated imagery any more than it’s threatened by any other type of art. That’s because photography, by definition, remains uniquely tethered to reality. And that tether is not a limitation. It’s the whole point.

If you would like to hear my entire podcast episode on The Thing Itself and John Szarkowski’s The Photographer’s Eye, be sure to follow BTL on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or the podcast app of your choice. This particular episode will be dropping soon.

New Podcast Episode: Suzi Eszterhas

Wildlife photographer Suzi Eszterhas joins the Beyond The Lens Podcast to talk about ethical wildlife photography, patience in the field, animal behavior, and photographing mothers and baby animals. We discuss vulnerability, stillness, conservation, long-term projects, and what it takes to build a meaningful career in wildlife photography.

She’s been published in TIME magazine, Smithsonian, BBC Wildlife, GEO, Popular Photography, Ranger Rick, and National Geographic Kids plus many other publications. She was also awarded as the 2021 Outstanding Photographer of the Year by the North American Nature Photography Association.

2026 - 2027 Photography Tours and Workshops

As many of you know, I lead all of my workshops and tours with Muench Workshops, the premier photography workshop and tour company in the world. I am often asked about my teaching availability and where I go, so here it is - my 2026 and 2027 travel schedule and locations. If you have any questions about any of these trips, please feel free to ask.

2026 and 2027 Photography Workshop and Tour Schedule

Here’s to Truth, Adventure, and Passion