Since the end of the 19th century, there have been, broadly speaking, two main directions in photography:
- Documentary:
reality is depicted more or less faithfully to the original image. - Pictorialism:
reality is artistically distorted.
Documentary photography generally focuses on rather advanced equipment, such as a sharper lens, a film with a higher resolution, or a sensor with a higher resolution.
Pictorialism, on the other hand, is more concerned with artistic expression, the specific atmosphere, the composition, and the emotion conveyed by an image.
Most photographers, at least in their own perception, consciously or unconsciously align themselves quite clearly with one of these two approaches.
For documentary photographers, expired film, and its unpredictable image quality are anathema.
The pictorialist side revels in the unexpected, experiments with unfamiliar materials, and tries out new techniques to add another layer to what is already there.
Everything has its place. This page focuses primarily (but not exclusively) on the pictorialist application of photography, mainly with vintage cameras, mostly long-expired film, and double and multiple exposures.
Perhaps pixel peepers will also find something to enjoy.
