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The Genius of Photography

How photography changed our lives

Documentary

Documentary series exploring the history of photography - from daguerreotype to digital, from portraits to photo-journalism, from art to advertising.

Oct 25, 20071 seasons6 episodesEndedEN

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Denis Lawson

Narrator (voice)

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Seasons

Season 1

6 episodes

Premiered Oct 25, 2007

Episodes

1–6 of 6

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Ep 1

Fixing the Shadows

Oct 25, 2007

60m

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

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Ep 2

Documents For Artists

Nov 1, 2007

60m

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.

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Ep 3