the simplest answer to this questions is that kleptography is a portmanteau word (yes, i know) of my name and "photography". but there might be a little bit more to the story.

i always believed that there is something a bit sinister about photography. therefore, there has always been an attempt from my side to escape being photographed. this attempt to escape pictures might have been the key trigger that pushed me to take the camera and “hide” behind it.

the information we get from our environment changes us - we learn and gain experience. however, with time, we change that information - our memories fade, blend with other experiences and, eventually, are forgotten.

but just like our memory, photography too commits multiple crimes. first, it disables the possibility to freely transform or forget. it freezes the moment in time and leaves unquestionable evidence of it. but the second you need to trust an image, it commits a second crime - the theft of context. and without context pictures can easily lie.

the famous 9/11 picture by thomas hoepker is one of the best examples of what a picture without context can do. however, i am sure that in every family album there are plenty of those little criminal shots that do not let us forget, but also prevent us from truly remembering.

“kleptography” is defined as the study of stealing information securely. subliminally, this can be also a perfect description of photography.