By Eliot Porter
By Eliot Porter
By Paul Goldfinger, Photography Editor, Blogfinger.net
Eliot Porter (1901-1990), from Illinois, began to photograph as a child, but he was formally trained in medicine and chemical engineering. He was working as a Harvard researcher when, in his late 20’s, he was introduced to Ansel Adams and Alfred Stieglitz. In 1938, Porter was given a show at Stieglitz’s New York gallery, and after that Porter became a professional photographer. His brother was a painter, and Eliot was good friends with the famous painter (and Stieglitz’s wife) Georgia O’Keeffe. He sometimes went on nature excursions with her including a raft trip down the Colorado River in 1961.
In the 1940’s he began to work with Kodak’s groundbreaking color technology—dye transfer. That method produced the best color, and Porter stuck with that technique throughout his career. He became famous for his color work. Mostly he was known for his nature studies.
Whereas most fine art photography was done in black and white at that time, Porter’s work was a notable exception. I was a huge fan of black and white photography and often considered color to be more about pretty pictures than feelings. But I always thought Porter’s images were strikingly beautiful and meaningful. (re-posted from January 2012. Music added now—-2016 re-post)
THEME FROM THE TV SERIES Transparent