A couple of weeks ago we paid a visit to the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. and had a first hand look at the different styles and types of photography through out the years. The exhibit was call "In the Darkroom: Photographic Processes", and it contained beautiful images done from the late 1800's to today. Some notable names where Ansel Adams and his image of the Monolith at Yosemite National Park, as well as Southworth and Hawes and samples of daguerreotypes produced by themselves. All the images were beautifully done and impressive in their own respect. Some more than others. For me, the daguerreotype by Southworth and Hawes blew me away by the sheer sight of it. The portrait titled "The Letter", had such clarity and beauty that I couldn't compare it to any other piece of work besides Ansel Adams. The way they focused on the two woman and blurred out out the background, gave the image a feel that I find hard to find in many works today. Along with Platt D. Babbitt's ambrotype, "Niagra Falls", I found new respect for what photographers were doing in the past. I am not saying I didn't have respect to start, but if you looked at their works and compared it to what many are doing now, you'll understand the accomplishments they achieved. Today with the help of computers, we can do so many things by looking at the screen and deciding if we should delete it or not. But back then, if felt as if it were a hit or miss since you couldn't preview your work before starting to work on it. Looking at these images in a book does not compare to seeing them in person. You can really see the detail, quality, and care that these photographers focused on.
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