The Photographer's Eye

William Smith: View across Chain Bridge, Washington, DC., c. 1863 The Library of Congress


While reading "The Photographer's Eye" by John Szarkowski there were many images that caught my eye but this one in particular really did because of what it creates. Szarkowski writes that the photographer starts with a frame and within this frame. creates the shapes that surround objects and edits the meanings and patterns of the world through an imaginary frame and this frame is the beginning of his picture's geometry. In this picture, Smith took a bridge and framed his picture in a way that created a pattern and geometric pattern. The two sides of the bridge make up the vertical frame and emphasize the pattern of the top of the bridge which makes up the vertical frame. The way he framed this picture almost morphs the reality of it and creates a pattern out of real life. The people in it are also placed along the frame and the horse in the distance gives a starting point for the depth of the picture and allows us to see the pattern continue into what looks like oblivion.

Edward Weston once said "Putting one's head under the focusing cloth is a thrill...to pivot the camera slowly around watching the image change on the ground-glass is a revelation, once becomes a discoverer... and finally the complete idea is there..."

To me it looks like Smith did just that in this picture. He moved around the camera and the image of the bridge changed into a pattern. He took life and made it art- made it geometric. And the result is extremely aesthetically pleasing.