Shadow Catchers: Camera-less Photography

At the dawn of photography, various image-makers explored camera-less techniques, and today there are a number of artists who continue to challenge the belief that a camera is necessary to create a photograph. Shadow Catchers presents the work of five leading practitioners – Pierre Cordier, Susan Derges, Adam Fuss, Garry Fabian Miller and Floris Neusüss – who, by casting shadows on light-sensitive paper or by chemically manipulating its surface, capture the presence of objects, figures or glowing light. The results are powerful images, often with surreal effects and symbolic content. This is the first book to gather together the exciting works of these key contemporary artists, revealing the technical processes and creative practices involved in their art. In an age of mass-produced imagery, Shadow Catchers offers hand-crafted photographs that are both haunting and thought-provoking. AUTHOR: Martin Barnes is a graduate of Leicester University and the Courtauld Institute of Fine Art in London. Having worked at the Tate,Walker and Bluecoat galleries in Liverpool and the Witt Library in London, he moved to the Word & Image Department at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, where he is now Curator of Photographs and Head of Photography. SELLING POINTS: A unique survey of the most prominent contemporary artists creating photographs without the use of a camera An authoritative and sumptuously produced account of the history of camera-less photography and the processes involved ILLUSTRATIONS: 100 colour