| On August 19, 1839, Louis Jacques Mande | | | | bricks. But Romantics believed that so much |
| Daguerre's photographic process was | | | | detail didn't allow viewers to fantasize. |
| officially announced at a joint public | | | | Photographs left no room for imagination. In |
| meeting of the French Academies of Science | | | | Romantic works, on the other hand, boundaries |
| and Fine Arts. Shortly after that meeting, | | | | between shapes were blurred. Detail was |
| Susse Freres published a brochure, The | | | | avoided. Forms were only suggested. Brush |
| History and Description of the Technique of | | | | strokes were evident.In other words, for |
| Daguerreotypy, which went into 26 editions in | | | | photography to be accepted as an art form, it |
| five months. Would-be photographers bought | | | | had to stop looking like photography. So |
| or made equipment and began taking pictures | | | | photographers found ways to destroy what was |
| of their chimneys and counting the | | | | photographic about their photography in the |
| bricks.About the time they were becoming | | | | hope that their altered pictures would pass |
| tired of brick-counting, someone said, | | | | for some form of art. And these are some of |
| "Chimney pictures are interesting, but is | | | | the things they did.They found that they |
| photography really art?" Some people are | | | | could manipulate a picture either |
| still asking the question.Well, that's not | | | | mechanically, when it was being made, or |
| exactly fair. Most people made up their mind | | | | chemically, when it was being developed or |
| pretty quickly. A camera was, to them, a | | | | printed.Mechanically they could:* change the |
| machine that was to be used to record | | | | focus during exposure (exposure times were |
| information, and photographers were machine | | | | very long), thereby changing the depth of |
| operators. Early photography shows | | | | field* soften the picture by use of a special |
| reinforced this belief. The exhibitions were | | | | lens* use a pinhole instead of a lens* |
| associated with industry and not art, and | | | | suspend a weighted rope from the center of |
| photographs were judged on their technical, | | | | the tripod and create vibrations by running a |
| not their artistic, merits. The daguerreotype | | | | violin bow over the rope* place a flame below |
| competition at the world's fair of 1851 was | | | | the lens so that heat rising from the flame |
| won by M. M. Lawrence. His pictures were | | | | would cause visible wavesIn the darkroom, the |
| judged "remarkable for clear definition and | | | | photographer could:* scrape, paint, or draw |
| general excellence of execution. ... | | | | directly onto the negative* place a special |
| Notwithstanding their large size, they are, | | | | sheet of glass between the negative and |
| throughout, perfectly in focus, and are | | | | printing paper to diffuse the light* use |
| beautifully finished in all details."Most | | | | either glossy or rough printing paper* coat |
| photographers were content to see themselves | | | | the printing paper, or selected parts of the |
| as technicians. But there are always a few | | | | printing paper, with layers of gum-based, |
| people who don't get the word. To this | | | | toned emulsions, producing painterly effects* |
| minority, photography was definitely an art | | | | use gum bichromate to rinse away details or |
| form, and they set out to convince the | | | | even entire sections of a print. This |
| general public of this fact. But how?A few | | | | process allowed the artist to create deep, |
| pioneers reasoned that if photography was to | | | | textured shadows and a grainy moodiness. As |
| be accepted as an art form, it had to look | | | | the outcome of the gum-bichromate treatment |
| like other accepted art forms. In short, it | | | | differed with each print, the photographer |
| had to look like painting. And, | | | | could claim that each print was unique.This |
| unfortunately for these well-intentioned | | | | attempt to make photos look like paintings |
| pioneers, the prevalent type of painting - | | | | was termed Pictorialism. The debate and the |
| the one they had to imitate - was | | | | style continued into the early 20th |
| Romanticism. So photographs had to become | | | | century.Edward Ginsberg is currently writing |
| emotionally intense, mystical, melodramatic, | | | | a book to help the beginning photographer |
| brooding, somber, and exotic. It would also | | | | find true happiness as he embarks on the road |
| help if they were theatrical.As far as | | | | to creativity. Ed's photos can be seen on his |
| technique, Romanticism was just the opposite | | | | website, where he also offers a free |
| of photography. Photographs showed great | | | | tutorial. |
| detail. They allowed people to count the | | | | |