Understanding photographic time in the realm of visual culture: The attributes of time in photography as seen through exposure

Historically, photographic exposure times have decreased dramatically over the years, and instantaneous exposures have become the mainstream photographic norm. My argument is that instantaneity limits the photographic experience. Since photography is one of the major components of visual culture, exploring the possibilities of photography through examining exposure time may potentially offer new insights into the images of visual culture. There is scant literature on extended-exposure photography although there are practitioners exploring this idea. This study is a qualitative research in nature and investigates the relationship between time and being that has developed in the twentieth and twenty-first century photography. It synthesizes instrumental collective case study, elite interview, and autoethnography as qualitative research methods. The concept of photographic time through the philosophical, historical and artistic inquiry is examined.;By interviewing and exploring the works of four international photographers, Jun Gao, Ken Kitano, Guorui Shi, and Hans-Christian Schink, the data of the study reveals that the photographers develop an experiential relationship with the world through time in photography, explore the notion of existence, and consider long-term exposure as a way of looking at time. Based on these emergent themes, it is argued that photography as a vehicle for capturing the outcomes of the movements of time engenders specific kinds of experiential relationships between the subject and the world that confirms particular kinds of existences. The study suggests that photography is a selective medium and photographic time is rather intricate and multilayered. In the convergence of time and being, existence in photography is sustained by time, which in turn connects time to human existence. Therefore, to understand time and photography is to understand ourselves. The educational implications enhance critical thinking and open-mindedness with possibilities in both learning and teaching art.