To Photograph Is to Learn How to Die

Brooklyn-based photographer Tim Carpenter argues passionately that photography is unique among the arts in its capacity for easing the fundamental ache of mortality, managing the breach between self and other, enriching one's sense of freedom and personhood, and cultivating meaning in an otherwise meaningless reality. Drawing on the writings of Wallace Stevens, Marilynne Robinson, and other poets, artists, musicians, and thinkers, Carpenter builds his case through one main essay and a series of lively digressions.

Printed in three colors that reflect the various voices of the book, the text design follows several channels of thought and invites multiple approaches to reading. A unique and instructive contribution to the literature on photography, Carpenter's research offers both a timely polemic and a timeless resource for anyone who uses a camera.