The Genius of Photography

• E1

  Fixing the Shadows

  This elegant, studious documentary - the first of a six-part series - leads us from ancient Rome to the Great War. Taking as its starting point the baffling natural phenomenon of camera obscura, it reveals how mathematician Henry Fox Talbot’s inability to draw led him to pioneer photographic methods, and how the new discovery made a big impression on painter Edgar Degas. The early tussle to see which photographic process would gain the upper hand is a fascinating one. Though occasionally dry and prone to pseudobabble, it covers a lot of territory, and Denis Lawson’s arch narration is the perfect accompaniment to some unforgettable images

  2007-10-25 · 60m
  Mark watched
• E2

  Documents For Artists

  By the end of World War One photography had become the central medium of the age. Photographers began to turn their lenses to the plight of rural victims of the American Depression and minority communities. Alexander Rodchenko and August Sander found their artistic skills put to another use by the state – as propaganda. Documents for Artists focuses on the first few decades after World War One when the potential of photography attracted the attention of artists and governments alike.

  2007-11-01 · 60m
  Mark watched
• E3

  Right Time Right Place

  Examines the photographs of D-Day, the Holocaust and Hiroshima raising questions about history as seen through the viewfinder.

  2007-11-08 · 60m
  Mark watched
• E4

  Paper Movies

  After World War One the potential of photography attracted the attention of artists and governments alike.

  2007-11-15 · 60m
  Mark watched
• E5

  We Are Family

  Having conquered the street and the road, photographers approached the final frontier: the home, the self, and private life.

  2007-11-22 · 60m
  Mark watched
• E6

  Snap Judgements

  Shows how photography has become part of the art world where a single image can cost $2.9m and, in the digital world, where all images are possible.

  2007-11-29 · 60m
  Mark watched

Top cast

Denis Lawson

Narrator (voice)