Photography Beyond Technique: Essays from F295 on the Informed Use of Alternative and Historical Photographic Processes

Photography is not dying and has not died. It has been an ever-changing medium since its earliest days, and while near-obsession with the technology of the day may have defined photography over the course of its existence, photography is so much more than hardware and software. Photography is communication, whether chemical or digital, tangible or ephemeral in form.

Photography Beyond Technique is a compelling selection of essays and images that reveal the thoughts and methods of some of today’s most exciting contemporary photographers. These artists employ alternative, historical, or handmade processes and techniques, and they share a comprehensive view of the medium: that the choice of photographic process is just as important as the selection of subjects. While other books concentrate solely on process, or theory, or artistic intent, none focus on photography in which these decisions are considered inseparable.

These 20 essays, originally presented at the annual F295 symposium and seminar series, provide a thought-provoking read for anyone interested in photography as an art form and as a medium through which to view the world. Includes:

• "Looking Backward, Seeing Forward: Reframing Visual History" by Robert Hirsch
• "Mystery, Memory, and Narrative" by Martha Casanave
• "Finding Confidence: Combining Process with Purpose" by Mark Osterman
• "Photograph, Material, and Metaphor" by Jerry Spagnoli

Tom Persinger is a photographer, writer, and the founder of F295. His photographs have been shown in numerous exhibitions and are in private collections in the United States, Europe, and Japan. His work has been featured in many publications, including Afterimage, Ag, Photo.net, View Camera, and books on photographic technique and processing. Persinger has lectured at colleges and universities, leads hands-on workshops, and is a member of Freestyle Photographic’s Advisory Board of Photographic Professionals. He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with his wife and two sons.