Photography of Jerry Uelsmann

It was idle curiosity that led me to pick up this book at the museum shop. I had seen some of Uelsmann's work in the museum galleries and was intrigued by them, but didn't really have a strong emotional pull towards them or interest in finding out more.

I flipped through Process and Perception mostly because it was there and I wondered what the title referred to — after a few pages, I was hooked and had to go back and read more closely.

Uelsmann: Process and Perception is a two-part photo book. The first section is from Jerry Uelsmann himself: a look at the process he uses when creating the photographic collages. Each page has one or two images plus an explanation from Uelsmann about why he did what he did or how he feels about the result. These twenty or thirty pictures depict the development of a final, ready-to-print image, from the first idea to the end of the day's work. I found this to be very fascinating, and it definitely gave me more appreciation for Uelsmann's photography and skill.

Perception is the second section of the book. It begins with a brief essay about Uelsmann's photography by John Ames followed by 60 or 70 examples of Uelsmann's work. I really liked that after reading about the process he uses in creating the photographs, I could see some of that in the photos and could pick out common elements or even prints made in close succession.

I still don't know if I particularly like Uelsmann's work or if it speaks to me, but I definitely appreciate it more and have a better understanding of why it is so great, thanks to this book. ( )