This page is the second one of a small bunch of very concise articles about some of the most notable photographers, our intent being that of stimulating reflections on photography.

A master of his craft

Edward Weston (1886–1958) was one of the most important American photographers of the last century, and indeed one of the most influential lensman of all times.
He produced an impressive amount of work which has radically changed the direction of photography worldwide.

The best way to learn about Weston, and the one we warmly suggest, is to read some books such as Beaumont Newhall’s classic and comprehensive The History of Photography, as well as the volumes about Weston’s work and life, many of which are really worth to own.
We have read with much interest Weston’s Daybooks (the diary he kept for more than fifteen years), and would also suggest his amazing Book of Nudes among others.

Weston, whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination far above and beyond the average threshold, was a true master of his medium. His photographs had a strong influence on his friends and photographers (among which Ansel Adams and Minor White), as well as virtually any photographer even today.
At one time Weston was reproducing the exact scene his eyes were seeing, while he was pre-visualizing and rendering a completely different picture of it, by following what his artistic sensibility and revolutionary mind dictated: a new way to look at landscapes, rocks, trees, nudes, and the whole world.

Weston pictures were straight black-and-white, shot in available light with a large-format camera: by fumbling with heavy lenses, wooden tripods and bulky film holders, he was able to record and convey the most sensuous feelings, no matter whether he had a beautiful woman or a pepper, a desert, jagged rocks or just kelps in front of him.

We packed some images together for you, with no apparent order.
What follows is a deliberate attempt to emphasize how Weston’s eye, his love of nature, true commitment to his work, deep interest in the formal qualities of any subject he could meet with, was ready to find beauty anywhere.
A toilet, a young girl, sand dunes, his own wife, vegetables: it is hard to tell whether one is more beautiful and aesthetically pleasing to the senses than the other.
Enjoy, please!

• Books of and about Edward Weston can be found at Amazon.com
• The Center for Creative Photography - University of Arizona in Tucson houses a full repository of Edward Weston’s work.