Photography

In Chapter 19, "Winter Photography" Robinson writes about the difficulty of taking photos in the cold white months... "the fear of rheumatism, neuralgia, colds, fevers, and the multitudinous ills to which suffering humanity is subject from fall of temperature".

Since we're having one of the 'best' winters in recent history I can at the very least read about the theory and problems of winter photography from a historical POV... and as a fun side project I have scanned an online copy of the titled book and using an OCR to create a text based AZW3 / MOBI document including illustrations.

I have mentioned Henry Peach Robinson in a previous thread about Pictorial Photographers and his book from 1896 is worth reading, not the least for its perspective on historical photography... plus the wonderful examples and references.

H.P. Robinson: "For I think it must be conceded that the representations of wintry scenes have never equaled those of summer nature in any age of art. I cannot call to mind at present any adequate rendering of snow. There is, of course, ["Duel After the Masquerade", a painting by the French artist Jean-Léon Gérôme], but the snow painting does not rise above the quality of figure painter's landscape. In the exhibitions a few winter subjects are almost always shown. These are sometimes perfect as far as they go, but they seldom go beyond an impressionist's imperfect rendering of snow."

Robinson: "The pathetic wretchedness of the world in winter is suggested, but it is a memory, not a study." consider "Frosty Morning" a painting by the English artist Joseph Mallord William Turner... "perhaps the truest rendering of a black frost ever painted".

  login to reply