International Masters Of Photography Volume I

Introduction to International Masters of Photography , Volume 1 The beginning of this endeavor comes at a very interesting and vital moment for photography: it has at last gained universal acceptance as one of the basic fine arts, and perhaps together with its companion, cinema, it is the most characteristic art of our age. Also, together with the dominance of digital photography, the very nature of the art has changed. Very little photography (apart from documentary and news photography) is now done without subsequent modification (although there are some notable exceptions!), and often the resulting image bears practically no resemblance to the original shot. Thus photography is now closer than ever to its etymological sense: writing, or painting, with light. An unprecedented flowering of every conceivable kind of painting with light is taking place around us. So we consider that the launching of this publication could not have come at a more propitious time. This thought has dictated our approach. There is considerable discussion about what is and what is not photography. We decided to take the broadest possible interpretation, and not only include, but actively pursue, everything that could remotely be considered as photography. On the one hand, we have the work of purists who still work only with old-fashioned film and pride themselves on printing only what came out of the camera and onto the film. At the other extreme, we have light painters who alter images to the point where the original scene is unrecognizable. We have a number of magnificent landscape and travel photographers from many countries, and advertising, fashion, portrait, nude, still life, nature, abstract, macro, documentary and many kinds of experimental photography are also well-represented. A special mention should be made of wedding photography. While for many years it was scorned as a poor cousin, as the most mundane type of everyday work photography , it has been elevated in recent years, by a number of talented practitioners, especially in East Asia, to a true art form. And we have in this book some impressive examples. We have a similarly broad approach in the photographers we have included. Some have reached the status of old masters are internationally famous and at the top of their profession, honored with multiple awards and solo museum exhibitions, their work much-collected. Others are just beginning their careers. Over fifty countries are represented. While most are professionals, some are not. What all have in common though, is that there is something remarkable or arresting about their work, and they all are technically very proficient in whatever they may do. In short, we have tried to give a complete as possible a picture of the best of photography here in the second decade of the twenty first century. And as new volumes come out, we intend to broaden this picture and create an extensive chronicle of the art of photography.