Inspiration from those at the beginning of photography.

I just purchased a new photography book called "Camera Work" and it is the complete image collection that appeared between 1903 and 1917 in the magazine published by Alfred Stieglitz. This was happening at the beginning of photography, when it wasn't clear what photography entailed and whether or not it could be considered an art form.

I have found myself interested in "fine art" as it relates to photography. I hope to soon bring it into the studio. I am comfortable with soft focus and stylized photos, so it should be an easy transition.

And many of the early photographers excelled in this art form: Stieglitz a master. I stumbled recently upon the site artbelka and the work of Mariya Byeliko which falls within the genre of "fine art." I worked backwards and found my way to the Stieglitz publication and then several specific artists within the group, specifically Alice Boughton.

Many of her photos were done using the technique of Photogravure; a multistep complex process for producing images. She also used a "soft focus" technique at times and the end result of combining the two produced exquisite skin textures.

Along with the prominent photographers of the era, other visual artists such as Monet, Picasso, Matisse and many others were represented in the publication.