Jerry N. Uelsmann is an American photographer and was an early exponent of photo montage in the 20th century in America. His work in the darkroom effects foreshadowed the use of Adobe Photoshop to make surrealistic images in the late 20th century, a process led by his ex-wife, Maggie Taylor, at that time. He received a Guggernhein Fellowship in 1967, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in 1972, and the Lucie Award in Fine Art in 2015. He is a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, a founding member of The Society of Photographic Education. Uelsmann’s interpretations of landscape elements, reworked, tweaked, and re-contextualized, force the viewer to actively interact with his subjects. Continually in his photographs the viewer is confronted with entrances, whether they be gates, windows, trapdoors or ordinary doors. Usually, the entrances are shut, but even when they are not, the viewer must imagine what is inside.

Uelsmann Moodboard:

Photo Analysis:

This photo is in black and white. It shows a man looking out of the window and seeing a reflection of himself. The man seems to be confused, and has a look on his face that he is lost. The reflection seem to have been inverted so that the shadows and lighter parts have switched. The lighting that Uelsmann has decided to use is natural, this makes the sides of the subject closer to the window a lot brighter than the other side, which will have strong shadows. The shutter speed might have been quite fast as the subject is very focused and crisp. Uelsmann has decreased the opacity of the reflection of the man which allows us to see the background of the image, which is of a boy of a young boy walking on grass or on a pathway. Uelsmann could have done this as a representation of the man when he was younger and he could be reflecting on his life.