Pictorialism Revisited Thanks to Amazing Book

[Richard K.]

When I was younger and just starting out in photography, I instantly fell in with the f/64 sharp focus Weston Adams paradigm and mocked the (what I saw as) pretensions of the Pictorialist movement. I'm still not a fan of the faked death scenes and other theatrical constructions but I've definitely done a rethink on landscapes softly rendered. Their soft, ethereal, glowy quality is often more in keeping with the emotion one feels at the scene than a more clinical sharp rendering can provide. All of this revelation thanks to the book "Truth Beauty: Pictorialism and the Photograph as Art, 1845 -1945". Sadly this may now be out of print, but I recommend it highly.

Anyone else have a change of appreciation after seeing this book? Comments?

I think this and the fantastic "The Photographs of Frederick H. Evans" (only $33.75 at Amazon) are two of the best books published in recent years.

[sanking]

When I was younger and just starting out in photography, I instantly fell in with the f/64 sharp focus Weston Adams paradigm and mocked the (what I saw as) pretensions of the Pictorialist movement. I'm still not a fan of the faked death scenes and other theatrical constructions but I've definitely done a rethink on landscapes softly rendered. Their soft, ethereal, glowy quality is often more in keeping with the emotion one feels at the scene than a more clinical sharp rendering can provide. All of this revelation thanks to the book "Truth Beauty: Pictorialism and the Photograph as Art, 1845 -1945". Sadly this may now be out of print, but I recommend it highly.

Anyone else have a change of appreciation after seeing this book? Comments?

I think this and the fantastic "The Photographs of Frederick H. Evans" (only $33.75 at Amazon) are two of the best books published in recent years.

Richard,

If that is the direction you want to go with your photography I could have saved you a lot of money by selling you a pinhole and zone plate lens for your 18X22" camera.

Sandy

[Hugo Zhang]

Richard,

If that is the direction you want to go with your photography I could have saved you a lot of money by selling you a pinhole and zone plate lens for your 18X22" camera.

Sandy

And I will be first in line for that 550mm ssxl fine art lens.

[Richard K.]

Sheesh guys, one CAN do both!
By way of explanation, I like BIG negs sharp and sometimes the smaller ones (WP, 7x11) soft and ethereal and glowy,,,

Big soft ones...no.

So you're going to have to wait a while Hugo!

[Mike Anderson]

Richard,

If that is the direction you want to go with your photography I could have saved you a lot of money by selling you a pinhole and zone plate lens for your 18X22" camera.

Sandy

I use a digital point-n-shoot and a Photoshop Pictorialism filter - just slide the slider all the way to the right and your done!

...Mike

[Darin Boville]

>>two of the best books published in recent years<<

I have the Evans book...hmmm...what do you thunk is the other "best book in recent years?"

--Darin

[Richard K.]

>>two of the best books published in recent years<<

I have the Evans book...hmmm...what do you thunk is the other "best book in recent years?"

--Darin

Truth Beauty: Pictorialism and the Photograph as Art, 1845 -1945

Of course these are just my tiny opinion...

I also like "The Book of 101 Books" by Roth, a LE copy of which I'm trying without much luck to eBay...

[Darin Boville]

Truth Beauty: Pictorialism and the Photograph as Art, 1845 -1945

Of course these are just my tiny opinion...

I also like "The Book of 101 Books" by Roth, a LE copy of which I'm trying without much luck to eBay...

Oh, sorry, right. Duh. That will teach me to just skim posts...

--Darin

[Bill_1856]

The "Pictoralism" book is $99 -- that's out of my league. I just bought the Evans book and was disappointed by the reproductions. It's not that they're bad, but they're not even as good as the Aperture book on Evans published a few years ago. I expected better from more modern printing techniques.

[paulr]

Soft-focussed images have always been around under one guise or another. But soft doesn't automatically equal pictorialism. Fuzziness is just a marker of what's central to pictorialism; it isn't itself the central idea.