A medium of paradox: Gill

Even before the advent of Al and digital image manipulation, the authenticity of photographs could be suspect.

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Photographer Gauri Gill says, “I am well aware of how, at some level, it is all an entirely subjective interpretation by the photographer. Even in conventional documentary photography, when I am taking a so-called straight photograph, I make certain artistic choices—I choose what shutter speed to use, which will determine whether the person will be a blur or in sharp focus; or based on what kind of lens I use, will I have the background out of focus or with every detail visible clearly? So, the medium itself is prone to paradox.”

To her, documentary photographs are “fragments of facts”, which also makes them a kind of fiction “because the photograph is very much how I have creatively selected and interpreted particular facts, how I have mobilised the instrument, and my particular interaction with the scene. This is not to say that photojournalism or truth-telling is not relevant, so long as we know that it is only ever relational, and multidimensional,” she explains.