Other Realities, the beauty of analog dream. (book)

  Today with the age of digital cameras and photoshop, we don't really think about going to the dark room and spend several hours on developing our images if we can achieve similar effect in half the time. It's a shame that the technology has taken over the magic of analogue photography. Photography masters like Jerry Uelsmann are much more rare now a days. His darkroom skills allowed him to create evocative images that combined the realism of photography and the fluidity of our dreams. I think that the alchemy of the photographic process is strongly tied to his creative visions. His work inspires, helps to keep the analog photography and multiple exposure techniques a life. 

(from book p.25)

There is a Zen saying: "When the student is ready, the Master appears." I would like to dedicate this selective retrospective to my incredible teachers: Ralph Hatterslay, Minor White, Beaumont Newhall, and Henry Smith. Each of the individuals answered my questions with more interesting questions. 

                                                                                                              - Jerry Uelsmann 

(Jerry Uelsmann, Other Realties, p.5)

  This dedication from his book shows his masters and influences. Uelsmann creations are full of questions, he is promoting "doubts" as a positive and essential force with in the process of discovery. His photographs are a curious mixture of themes, motifs, and sensibilities. I treasure the fact that in his prints every one might find something different, for example elements of expressionism, photography as self knowledge, as comedy, as reflection. By looking at his book I see elements of mystery and romance. 

Many of his images include the bodies of beautiful women, usually asleep and dreaming, which gives the feeling of a romantic dream.  Clouds is the other element.