The Genius of Photography part 1

What is photography’s “true genius”?

 

In 1928 Andre Kertesz went to Meudon, and took an image, the image was plain and empty so the next day he went back and this image was created. He wanted to show atmosphere and include people within the image. He has managed to capture the train going across the bridge with the smoke, people in the background and then this man carrying something in the foreground. This image is a lot more effective and shows how you can turn the ordinary in to extraordinary. Photography transforms what it describes as the photographer can choose what they include or leave out from the image. Photography allows us to question and make our own narrative from the image like in this one we wonder who is the person? What is he carrying? Where is he taking it? Where has he been? The etching at the same time didn’t intrigue or question as much as photographic version. Photography’s true genius is the fact that an image can show so much but keep so much to the viewers imagination and the questions we ask and how we see it.

Name a proto-photographer.

Henry Fox Talbot was a proto-photographer and as he couldn’t draw he found a lot of use from the camera obscura and he would also use paper with silver salts and shoe box type cameras.

In the 19th century, what term was associated with the

daguerreotype?
The term associated with the daguerreotype was “like a mirror with a memory” as they created one off images from a mirrored metal plate and it was said to be like a miracle. These images reflect light back through the image and it doesn’t sink in to it like a photograph. People look on the edge of being present and they contain lots of detail in deep tones which shows an obvious depth of field.

What is the vernacular?

The vernacular is known as a genre of photography which contains journalistic, travelistic, scientific, armature snapshots and forensic photography including crime scenes. They can also be used as insurance records, evidence, documents and these can contain the greatest use of recording and shows something as it is and is used for evidence.

How do you “Fix the Shadows”?

In 1839 a French man Louis Daguerre and English man Henry Fox Talbot announced rival process that would fix the shadows. Abe Morel demonstrated this, a camera obscura is a room that has been completely blacked out so that no light can come in and then by cutting a small square it allows a tight beam of light to enter and the outside image will be projected on the wall but upside down. This was used to help painters and shows how you can fix the shadows.

What is the “carte de visite”?  

The carte de visite was created in 1854 by a French man and they are little photo cards, people would stand and have 8 images taken for each person and then they would be able to have the cards to see the what the images were like and this was a good invention as the cards were small enough to post them out to the people.

Who was Nadar and why was he so successful?

Nadar was a photographer with red hair and he would sign all this images in a matching red signature, Nadar was a professional made up name and he was said to be like the Andy Warhol of Paris. He photographed people looking authentic and would isolate his sitter and take the image against plain backgrounds and he didn’t use props as he wanted the personality to show their profession.

What is pictorialism?                                                                          Pictorialism was when mean and moody was introduced to photography it is at its most series and contains no humour. This is when photography tried to go in to fine art and would imitate and reference paintings. It is something that doesn’t look very up to date and is fictional and looks to the past for inspiration.