Is it a mirror, reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it, or a window, through which one might better know the world? – John Szarkowski

What are the differences between photographs that are Mirrors and Windows?

The difference between mirror and window photography is a mirror is a romantic expression of the photographer’s sensibility as it projects itself on the things and sights of this world. A mirror image is staged and subjective, they reflect the photographer and therefore called a mirror image. A window photograph is a photograph that shows realism and are objective. They are called window images because they show what is real in the image, like looking out of a window.

Key Words

Mirrors: Romanticism, Subjective, Naturalistic,  Fiction, Tableaux, Reflective, Personal, Internal

Windows: Authentic, Objective, Documentary, Realism, Candid, Public, External, Truthful

Binary Opposites

Inside / Outside

Subject / Object

Staged / Candid

Fiction / Non-Fiction

Image Analysis