ABSTRACT
This chapter explores counterfactuals in fine arts in relation to the ways in which they can activate an artist's imagination or reveal otherwise unknown elements of an artist's life. Some artists are prone to counterfactual ideas, particularly sculptors, who work with carving, cutting or similar reductive and subtractive methods. Natural light, movement and expression, the blink of an eye, the right position, the selection of camera, focal length, focus, exposure, and aperture are components that affect the final photograph. The importance of the right moment was recognised in Greek mythology. Recognition of the counterfactual potential of photography leads to the research and artistic considerations of Silke Helmerdig, whose work often deals with the possibilities of the medium and the memory of one particular moment while our personal recollections are susceptible to change.
