Photo Impressionism and the Subjective Image

M. Wayne Cunningham is a past executive director of the Saskatchewan
Arts Board and the former director of Academic and Career Programs at
East Kootenay Community College.

This most recent collaborative effort by internationally known
photographers Freeman Patterson and André Gallant is the fifth volume
in Patterson’s acclaimed series of instructional texts. Combining
knowledgeable theoretical constructs with more than 100 superb color and
black-and-white photographs to illustrate the concepts, the book is a
gold mine of information and a pleasure to read. The style is anecdotal,
even bantering, and always interesting and informative whether in
relating the authors’ stories about their experiences or in providing
specific directions for, say, lens stops or film speeds.

The first half of the book introduces “photo impressionism” and
describes this approach to photographic art through the techniques of
multiple exposures, slide montages, use of colors, and choice of film
stock.

The second section focuses on “the subjective image,” with
discussions of photographing earthscapes, travel, people, and subjects
commonly found around the home. The instructions provided throughout are
clear, concise, and aimed at a general audience of both amateur and
professional photographers. The stunning photographs raise the book from
educational text to coffee-table status.

The biographical notes about the author-photographers substantiate
their credibility as master artists. Their final entry, “The Craft and
Art of Photography,” deals with popular art, the distinctions between
craft and art in photography, and “every individual’s capacity for
meaningful self-expression.” Their highly recommended book is bound to
enhance the reader’s understanding and appreciation of meaningful
self-expression.