Book foreword:

Though these essays were written for a variety of occasions they have a recurring subject - the effort we all make, photographers and nonphotographers, to affirm life without lying about it. And then to behave in accord with our vision. Some of the facts that we encounter are recorded perfectly in an etching by Edward Hopper (photographers live by all kinds of pictures), one that shows a new house isolated against a line of brush. The side of the building makes unmistakable a crowding to follow, and at the front we see part of the cost: large draperies and awnings indicate that our enjoyment of the view is weakening. Jean-Luc Godard said, in one of his films about modernity, that now “the future is more present than the present.” Each of us has experienced that, but Hopper’s picture reminds us of an additional truth: there is still time - in the lee, in the quiet, in the extraordinary light.