Today, the diffused aesthetic of impressionist pho-
tography frequently appears in the work of commer-
cial and nature photographers. In these genres, a
hazy or imprecise representation can prove helpful
in a number of ways. For example, the calculated
blurring of an image can infuse the image with atmo-
spheric emotion ranging from glowing optimism to
misty gloom, while simultaneously de-emphasizing
less enticing details of a model or product. In addi-
tion, the photographer can convey activity by pan-
ning the camera in tandem with a moving subject. In
conjunction with a relatively low shutter speed, this
technique will render the subject in focus and the
remainder of the scene out of focus. The use of special
lenses can create impressionist images, as well. A long
lens (useful for photographing subjects at a distance)
and/or shallow depth of field will also allow selective
focus, as will certain combinations of aperture and
shutter speed settings. A soft-focus lens can be used
to soften details, such as facial wrinkles of models,
resulting in a smoother and more idealistic image.
Alternatively, once the photography is taken, the
final image may be altered during the developing
process in any number of ways, from the layering of
diffusion filters to computer-based digital manipula-
tion. In short, contemporary photographers have
recourse to a countless array of techniques to achieve
impressionist effects, and can rely on impressionist
effects to evoke an infinite range of emotions.
A. KristaSykesSeealso:Camera: Pinhole; Evans, Frederick H.;
History of Photography: Nineteenth-Century Foun-
dations; Lens; Linked Ring; Photo-Secession; Pic-
torialism; RepresentationFurther Reading
Coe, Brian. ‘‘George Davison: Impressionist and Anar-
chist.’’ InBritish Photography in the Nineteenth Century.
Edited by Mike Weaver. Cambridge and New York:
Cambridge University Press, 1989.
Emerson, Peter Henry.Naturalistic Photography for Stu-
dents of Art. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle
& Rivington, 1889; New York: Arno Press, 1973.
Herbert, Robert L.Impressionism: Art, Leisure, and Pari-
sian Society. New Haven, CT, and London: Yale Uni-
versity Press, 1988.
Newhall, Beaumont.The History of Photography from 1839
to the Present. New York: Museum of Modern Art and
Bulfinch Press, Little, Brown and Company, 1982; 5th
rev. ed. 1994.
Nochlin, Linda.Realism: Style and Civilization. NY: Pen-
guin Books, 1971.
Rewald, John.The History of Impressionism. New York:
Museum of Modern Art, 1946; 4th rev. ed. 1973.
Robinson, Henry Peach.Pictorial Effect in Photography.
London 1869; Pawlet, Vermont: Helios, 1971.
Tausk, Peter.Photography in the 20th Century. London:
Focal Press, 1980.
Thomson, Belinda.Impressionism: Origins, Practice, Recep-
tion. London and New York: Thames & Hudson, 2000.INDUSTRIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Twentieth-century industrial photography is a sub-
set of documentary photography, focused on pro-
duction and abundant supply. Its own subsets
include environments of productivity, or industrial
zones; tools and machinery for industrial produc-
tion, or capital goods; workers, work teams, and
foremen; and the interrelationship of these compo-
nents under the aegis of entrepreneurial, corporate,
or governmental control. An enormous storehouse
of images, escalating in quantity and complexity of
interpretation from ca. 1900 through the 1950s, it is
primarily an American phenomenon with its roots
in the transportation revolution that replaced ca-
nals, packet boats, and steamers with railways,
large cargo ships, and ore boats; in the power revo-
lution which replaced steam with electricity; and in
the engineering revolution which replaced shop-
based, rule-of-thumb engineering with laboratory-
based, university trained planning, drafting, and
theory. Industrial photography may be said to
reflect an American system of manufactures, where-
in any image pertaining to a specific archive is
interchangeable with another, and that the archive
itself only makes sense when considered to be anINDUSTRIAL PHOTOGRAPHY