Edward Steichen (History of Photography)

Too much of contemporary photography is either clichéd or uninspired, and worse, too many people with digital cameras think they're in the same class as the masters of photography. Photography is more than just snapping away. When done right, photography is art...the product of previsualization and postvisualization (to borrow a couple of terms from other photographers). This book is partly a biography of Steichen and partly an exceptionally well printed collection of his pictorialist (painterly) photographs. My advice to would-be fine-art photographers is to study the work of Steichen and other masters of photography, as well as fine art in general. They understood lighting and composition, and their works are waiting for you to absorb them. BTW, contemporary photographyer Joyce Tenneson also captures the mood and tone of Steichen's work.

While he may be better know for his later work, Edward Steichen was one of the greatest Pictorialists around during his early years. This book contains an excellent selection of his early work. If you like this period in photography, it's one of the best books you can buy. The work is breathtaking.

This book is printed on high quality paper, but be careful as it is a small soft-cover book with little less than 50 pages to it. And if you're already familiar with Stiechen's work, many of the photos will be very familiar to you. But, for it's price it's a nice addition to an avid collector of photography or Stiechen related photography.

This is an excellent photography book. It highlights the early career of this true master of the medium. Steichen's work rivals his contemporaries Steiglitz and Strand.A must have for any serious collector of photography monographs.