Digital Media and Information in Society/Student Journals/Bartgis/Phenomenological analysis of photography

The passage concludes that by saying that photographs make us feel closely connected in three main ways. First, they're like footprints, leaving an impression of what they capture. Even if a photo doesn't show much, knowing it's a trace can make us feel close to the subject. Second, photos usually give us a good understanding of what they show, which we tend to believe. This also adds to the feeling of being near. Lastly, looking at a photo is a bit like pretending to see the real thing. This makes us feel like we're really there, even if we're not. Altogether, the passage suggests that these three things working together give us a special sense of connection when we look at photos.

MIKAEL PETTERSSON, Depictive Traces: On the Phenomenology of Photography, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Volume 69, Issue 2, May 2011, Pages 185–196, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6245.2011.01460.x