Essays on Photography

part 1 of classic essays on photography
-in regards to the 'birth' of photography many details are listed about Niepce, Daguerre & Talbot their experiments, chemistry mishaps, exposure times ex. Beyond the technical aspects of their research their is also a sense of purpose and investigation into what the 'image' or 'photo' means and speculation on what 'level' it could evolve.

As a traveler at heart I also found Talbot's story of his trip to lake Como an experience that i relate to in a couple ways. First as an avid travel photographer,and as a child who was so influenced by N.Geo mag and many other adventure photos. Second I have for many years enjoyed drawing and painting but I have always felt a more direct connection to photography and the moving image, no matter how many hours i spent on a painting or how many sketches i made i never had the feeling of completion or satisfaction that i get from making a photo whether its film, digital or more recently video. I guess for me its like when i look at that blank sheet of paper or canvas and i feel like i have to poor energy into it like some
Dr. Frankenstein bring the thing to life, but with photography i find its more of a give/take relationship i get to view the world through a lens and find my 'punctums' and capture them for all time (or until my hard drive dies). Well I'm ready for some lunch so i will stop for now, but i will have more later on the Baudelaire essay.