I love taking pictures. Whether they be of bumble bees in the Shakespeare Garden or of great mountains and canyons; I always enjoy snapping a shot of our beautiful world and taking it with me, a moment forever captured. I’ve always found photography to be one of my favorite art forms, and was excited to see that World Photography Day was coming up and giving me the chance to show off some of our wonderful books on, and containing, photography.
World Photography Day commemorates the day that the French government officially announced the invention of the daguerreotype, the first method of photography, and gave it as a gift to “free the world.” Since then, photography has evolved dramatically, from glass plates and film to digital cameras and eventually the smartphones we all have today, transforming how we capture and share our lives. With that, I wanted to share some books about the history of photography and some fascinating photos that have been taken over the past centuries.
A fascinating book I found by Christopher Pinney and Nicolas Peterson explores photography not only from the lens of the Western World but also how it was used and developed through several case studies pinned around the world in, “Photography’s Other Histories.” Pinney and Peterson bring together essays that examine photography as a medium not just for documentation but for social interaction, identity formation, and cultural expression. In the United States specifically, photography became popularized in the generations leading up to the Civil War, in a time where Slavery was present around every corner, Matthew Fox-Amato explores these early American photographs in the heartbreaking stories told in “Exposing Slavery.”
Since the 1800s photography has vastly evolved through each decade. In “Color: American Photography Transformed” by John Rohrbach, we watch as history changes when color begins bleeding into once dulled black-and-while photos, and fundamentally changing American culture. But vibrant colors had nothing in comparison to the impact that the digital realm had on its introduction to photography. Jonas Larsen and Mette Sandbye explore just that in “Digital Snaps,” where the art of photography shifts even further as photos can be taken by anyone and everyone, and even more striking is the world that forms around pictures on social media.
But photography doesn’t have one story, it has been enveloped into almost every field. “Beauty of Another Order: Photography in Science” by Ann Thomas and Marta Braun is a fascinating exploration of the intersection between photography and scientific discovery. The book delves into the historical and aesthetic aspects of scientific photography, highlighting how images have been used not only to document but also to reveal the unseen worlds of nature, anatomy, and the cosmos. But beyond labs and offices, photography is related to us on a personal level, such as what Susan Bright explores in “Home Truths.” In this book, Bright curates a collection of works by contemporary photographers who challenge traditional representations of motherhood. The images featured delve into themes of identity, family dynamics, domesticity, and the often-unseen realities of being a mother.
If you are interested in learning about the lives of photographers, I suggest the wonderful biography of “Julia Margaret Cameron” by Julia Margaret Cameron and Colin Ford. This biography, accompanied by photos, essays, and historical context, highlights the life of one of the most impactful photographers of the 19th century. Following Cameron was another extremely influential photographer, “Bernice Abbott: A Life in Photography” a biography by Julia Van Haaften. The book delves into Abbott’s journey, capturing the spirit of urban modernity, as well as her contributions to scientific photography and her advocacy for the preservation of historic structures. If you are looking into working with photography like these powerful women, I would suggest the guide “The Business of Photography” by Robert Cavallo and Stuart Kahan, where the authors share tips and tricks on getting started in the realm of photography.
And finally, if you are wanting something that you can more-so read for leisure, there is “Classic Essays on Photography” by Alan Trachtenberg. The book features essays by notable thinkers, photographers, and critics such as Charles Baudelaire, Walter Benjamin, and Susan Sontag. These essays explore the history, philosophy, and cultural impact of photography, offering diverse perspectives on the medium’s role in society. But the book that I discovered that I found most interesting, brings us back to my personal favorite kind of photography, that taken in the natural world around us. “The Complete Book of Nature Photography” by Russ Kinne is a book that is mostly self-explanatory, showing off some of the most beautiful scenes in nature and being a guide to those looking to dig deeper and connect with its roots. We are all photographers in our own ways, taking pictures of ourselves, friends, family, and the things we love most. Happy World Photography Day!
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