Photographies de paysage : l’envers du décor

Landscape photographies : the other side of the picture. The success of daguerreotypes, invented in 1839, was immediate, but the physical limitations of the process and the cumbersome material required did not allow the widespread use of photographic equipment outside the studio and the town. This is why, up until the development of the gelatino-bromide process in 1878, only professionals and experienced amateurs ventured out into landscape photography. Between 1839 and 1878, no fewer than six new processes were invented to overcome the drawbacks of the daguerreotype ; of these six, the wet-collodion process was best suited to the needs of landscape photography. The author describes the different types of cameras which could be used outdoors. She then goes on to examine the criteria for successful landscape photography : the weather conditions, the choice of a good viewpoint for achieving contrasts between shade and light, the choice of a foreground allowing for perspective effects, skill in judging exposure time to render colours correctly. The problem of sky hues was resolved by the use of screens or by the manipulation of prints in the studio. French landscape photographers achieved considerable expertise, and were bettered only by the English.