When cameras were first invented in the 1830s, it was used purely for scientific and representative purposes. In the 1850s, advocates such as William John Newton suggested that photography can be artistic.

The Pictorialism movement happened around the 19th century and strived for photography to be recognized by artistic institutions and elevate photography to the same level as paintings. Pictorialists valued the visual appeal of their photos above producing accurate visual representations.

The Straight photography movement in the 20th century was the rise of a new style of photography.  Straight photography emphasizes photographing scenes in detail, while also capturing abstract forms. The sharp focus and detail of Straight photographs distinguish them from paintings.

One of the reasons the Straight photography movement was popular at the time was because it had a similar purpose to the Pictorialism movement before it. Both movements wanted to distinguish photography from paintings and elevate photography to higher levels.

Albert Renger-Patzsch

Albert Renger-Patzsch’s photographs were definitely impacted by the Straight photography movement. This is especially noticeable in the picture on the right. Renger manages to include both sharp focus, detail, and abstract forms in his photography. His works are very distinguished from paintings, Renger is a Straight photographer.

Edward Weston

Edward Weston’s photos are very representative of Straight photography. As seen in the picture on the left, Weston focuses on one subject, captures the subject in detail, and includes abstract concepts in his photos. For instance, in the first image, Weston conveys a sense of ambiguity to the audience by photographing this object at a particular angle. The only aspect of Weston’s photography that does not abide by the guidelines of Straight Photography is that some of his works, including the first image here, are not as clearly distinguished from paintings as other Straight Photography. But that could be because of limitations on the camera in his earlier works.

Aaron Siskind

Aaron Siskind was definitely influenced by the Straight Photography Movement. In his works, as shown above, the details are sharp, they provoke thought in the audience, and there is a consistent sense of ambiguity in these images. Though both Straight Photographers, Siskind and Weston do stylistically differ from each other. Siskind seems to specialize in the use of geometric shapes for abstractions, while Weston tilted more toward close-ups and ambiguity.

 

Andreas Gursky

Andreas Gursky masterfully uses geometric shapes in his abstract photography. Gursky’s utilization of geometric shapes differs from Aaron Siskind’s. The shapes in Siskind’s work do not follow an obvious trend, while Gursky focuses almost solely on buildings with aligned windows or architectural patterns, usually squares. His style is also similar to Straight Photography since his works include sharp details and are very distinguished from paintings. Though his style of photography is similar to Straight Photography, Gursky may not be a straight photographer. The sharp details and abstract ideas in his works may just be part of his unique style and not because he is a Straight Photographer.

Uta Barth

Uta Barth uses blur and manipulating light to create abstract photography. Barth’s works do not allude to the style of Straight Photography as there is little detail nor are they strongly distinguished from paintings. Barth is likely an abstract photographer, but not a Straight Photographer.