Introduction (250 words): Reflect on the origin of photography and describe in your own words the difference between the two photographic processes, Daguerreotype and Calotype. Consider how they could be viewed as either a mirror or a window of the world according to John Szarkowski’s thesis. Choose one quote from Szarkowski’s text and comment if you agree or disagree.

Draft Introduction: In the early 19th century, photography emerged as a powerful medium for both documentation and artistic expression, with Daguerreotype and Calotype as key photographic processes. The Daguerreotype, created by Louis Daguerre in 1839, produced highly detailed images on silver-coated copper plates, emphasizing clarity and lifelike portraits. Conversely, the Calotype, developed by William Henry Fox Talbot, used light-sensitive paper, allowing for multiple prints and offering a softer, more ethereal quality. John Szarkowski described photography as both a mirror and a window, reflecting personal perspectives while revealing reality. He emphasized that photographers act as both recorders and creators of meaning, underscoring the importance of their dual role in shaping photographic imagery.

Potential quote:

• “Is it a mirror, reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it, or a window, through which one might better know the world?”

Paragraph 1 (250 words): Choose an image that in your view is a mirror and analyse how it is a subjective expression and staged approach to image-making. Choose one quote from Szarkowski’s thesis and another from Jed Pearl’s review which either supports of opposes Szarkowski’s original point of view. Make sure you comment to advance argumentation in providing a critical perspective.

Paragraph 2 (250 words): Choose an image that in your view is a window and analyse how it is an objective expression rooted in a sense of realism. Choose one quote from Szarkowski’s thesis and another from Jed Pearl’s review and follow similar procedure as above ie. two opposing points of view and commentary to provide a critical perspective.

Conclusion (250 words): Refer back to the essay question and write a conclusion where you summarise Szarkowski’s theory and Pearl’s review of his thesis. Describe differences and similarities between the two images above and their opposing concepts of objectivity and subjectivity, realism and romanticism, factual and fiction, public and private.