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Group f.64: Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, and the Community of Artists Who Revolutionized American Photography
An engaging, illuminating group biography of the photographers of the seminal West Coast movement-the first in-depth book on Group f.64.
Group f.64 is perhaps the most famous movement in the history of photography, counting among its members Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, Dorothea Lange, Willard Van Dyke, and Edward Weston. Revolutionary in their day, Group f.64 was one of the first modern art movements equally defined by women. From the San Francisco Bay Area, its influence extended internationally, contributing significantly to the recognition of photography as a fine art. The group-first identified as such in a 1932 exhibition-was comprised of strongly individualist artists, brought together by a common philosophy, and held together in a tangle of dynamic relationships. They shared a conviction that photography must emphasize its unique capabilities-those that distinguished it from other arts-in order to establish the medium's identity. Their name, f.64, they took from a very small lens aperture used with their large format cameras, a pinprick that allowed them to capture the greatest possible depth of field in their lustrous, sharply detailed prints. In today's digital world, these “straight” photography champions are increasingly revered.Mary Alinder is uniquely positioned to write this first group biography. A former assistant to Ansel Adams, she knew most of the artists featured. Just as importantly, she understands the art. Featuring fifty photographs by and of its members, Group f.64 details a transformative period in art with narrative flair.
580 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 14, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
February 7, 2015
I was disappointed in this book, on several levels. Alinder was an assistant to Ansel Adams so she had access to many of the Group f.64 people. This part shows through. She was able to talk with many of the main people and able to look through their papers and bodies of work. This part shows through well. There is an amazing amount of detail.
But I think that may have been one of the problems. She was too close to the group with too many details. Instead of a book which allows me to understand these outstanding photographers and see the hardships they needed to go through to get recognition for their work, I felt like there was a mass of information, loosely collected around each of the principals of the group.
Between using first names all the way through, even when there was duplicates, it become hard to understand who she was talking about. Which Edward is this? Weston? Maybe somebody else. Another this is her organization. Most of the chapters are organized around a principal of the f.64 group. This was an OK arrangement. But the problem with it is that a lot of the stories are overlapping, so you are left with trying to figure out, didn't I read this someplace else? Lastly, as a means of documenting the facts of these lives, she did a wonderful job. But much of what she did could have been reduced to a series of timelines.
I wish that Alinder would have gone more into who these people were, why and how did they photograph the way they did. I also would have been a lot more interested in her talking about Ansel Adam's love of the Sierra's than what she did-but she probably did in her Adams biography. After reading this book, I am no more inspired to be do good photography than I was before.
But I think that may have been one of the problems. She was too close to the group with too many details. Instead of a book which allows me to understand these outstanding photographers and see the hardships they needed to go through to get recognition for their work, I felt like there was a mass of information, loosely collected around each of the principals of the group.
Between using first names all the way through, even when there was duplicates, it become hard to understand who she was talking about. Which Edward is this? Weston? Maybe somebody else. Another this is her organization. Most of the chapters are organized around a principal of the f.64 group. This was an OK arrangement. But the problem with it is that a lot of the stories are overlapping, so you are left with trying to figure out, didn't I read this someplace else? Lastly, as a means of documenting the facts of these lives, she did a wonderful job. But much of what she did could have been reduced to a series of timelines.
I wish that Alinder would have gone more into who these people were, why and how did they photograph the way they did. I also would have been a lot more interested in her talking about Ansel Adam's love of the Sierra's than what she did-but she probably did in her Adams biography. After reading this book, I am no more inspired to be do good photography than I was before.
December 19, 2014
Biography makes unique demands on those bold enough to author it. How much should one reveal of the intimate life of the individual being described? How detailed should the book be? Recent tendencies are to make biographies encyclopedic and weighed down by the the tiniest details of daily living. Does one try to present a balanced judgement or a very personal and invariably biased assessment of the individual? Now decide to write a biographical study not of an individual but a group of people albeit with some common interests and the problems become compounded.
Mary Alinder has written a joyful tribute to group f.64, a revolutionary group of American photographers, who changed the focus of photography. As individuals they are a robust gaggle of visionaries who sometimes work in tandem and at others eccentrically wander off on an individual tangent. Dull they are not and Alinder embraces them whole heartedly and makes us want to know more about them. Along the way she has decided to emphasize some members of the group more than others, she clearly prefers the company of some over others but her artistic decisions about how to present this group are dead on. If you want to study just one member of the group- Ansel Adams, Immogen Cunningham, or Edward Weston, etc. there are many fine studies of these individuals. However, if you want to understand how this talented group of individuals coalesced into a profoundly important cultural movement to alter photography and American culture in general Alinder's book is for you.
Mary Alinder has written a joyful tribute to group f.64, a revolutionary group of American photographers, who changed the focus of photography. As individuals they are a robust gaggle of visionaries who sometimes work in tandem and at others eccentrically wander off on an individual tangent. Dull they are not and Alinder embraces them whole heartedly and makes us want to know more about them. Along the way she has decided to emphasize some members of the group more than others, she clearly prefers the company of some over others but her artistic decisions about how to present this group are dead on. If you want to study just one member of the group- Ansel Adams, Immogen Cunningham, or Edward Weston, etc. there are many fine studies of these individuals. However, if you want to understand how this talented group of individuals coalesced into a profoundly important cultural movement to alter photography and American culture in general Alinder's book is for you.
August 30, 2019
I have read more than a few books about Edward Weston and those by and about Ansel Adams. Ms. Alinder added details that I did not know which were interesting to discover. What I appreciated most regarding this book was the fuller descriptions of the contribution of the women to photography. I wished that they themselves could have written more like Weston and Adams, but their work speaks for itself.
April 10, 2019
This is a truly miserable book. There was a tradition in the late mid 20th century, championed by Beaumont Newhall, to the effect that group f.64 essentially saved photography from itself. This narrative omits Europe entirely, and ignores essentially all the facts on the ground.
Alinder is, weirdly, giving us this same narrative in 2014, long after it has been thoroughly discredited (see A.D. Coleman's writings).
What makes the book interesting is that she presents a lot of facts, most of them more or less right, which facts directly contradict the narrative she presents along with them. Group f.64 cannot possibly have combated Pictorialism in the interval of 1932-1939, because Pictorialism was long dead. Hartmann's plea for straight photography is 1904, "Camera Work" moves on from Pictorialism to Paul Strand in 1917, and so on. Europe is full of Modernist photographers, as is the eastern USA.
Amateur photography publications, in 1932, still wrote up the methods and chemistry of traditionally Pictorialist methods, and there were still Pictorialist photographers hanging on, but the ship had sailed.
Alinder doesn't go into vast detail here, but she goes in to enough to make her story of salvation obviously wrong. She is honest about the facts: f.64 arrived far too late on the scene, had a handful of minor exhibitions, and faded away before it could possibly have "swept away" anything. The group is historically prominent mainly because Beaumont Newhall was personally friends with Adams and Weston, and also wrote an early and influential history of photography.
The author's tendency to hagiography reaches, perhaps, its finest pitch when talking about Charis Wilson, the last girl Edward Weston was able to talk into his bed. Alinder wants to paint Charis as Weston's true love, his true muse, rather than merely his last. As evidence, she shows us two contemporaneous nudes, one of Charis Wilson and one of Sonya Noskowiak, and then writes:
"The difference between the nudes ... tell a profound and wordless story. Charis's body was yielding, all curving softness ... Light loved Charis. Pictures of Sonya by Edward at nearly the same time are perhaps honest, but unkind, jutting bones, stretch-marked breasts, her rib cage poking through her pale skin."
What Alinder leaves out is that Charis is 19 years old, and Sonya 33 or 34 at the time. What these pictures tell us is not that Charis was Edward's true muse, but that Charis was young, beautiful, and Weston desired her. To which I respond: duh. This section seemed to me to wander away from merely stupid and ahistoric into the outright offensive.
Alinder is, weirdly, giving us this same narrative in 2014, long after it has been thoroughly discredited (see A.D. Coleman's writings).
What makes the book interesting is that she presents a lot of facts, most of them more or less right, which facts directly contradict the narrative she presents along with them. Group f.64 cannot possibly have combated Pictorialism in the interval of 1932-1939, because Pictorialism was long dead. Hartmann's plea for straight photography is 1904, "Camera Work" moves on from Pictorialism to Paul Strand in 1917, and so on. Europe is full of Modernist photographers, as is the eastern USA.
Amateur photography publications, in 1932, still wrote up the methods and chemistry of traditionally Pictorialist methods, and there were still Pictorialist photographers hanging on, but the ship had sailed.
Alinder doesn't go into vast detail here, but she goes in to enough to make her story of salvation obviously wrong. She is honest about the facts: f.64 arrived far too late on the scene, had a handful of minor exhibitions, and faded away before it could possibly have "swept away" anything. The group is historically prominent mainly because Beaumont Newhall was personally friends with Adams and Weston, and also wrote an early and influential history of photography.
The author's tendency to hagiography reaches, perhaps, its finest pitch when talking about Charis Wilson, the last girl Edward Weston was able to talk into his bed. Alinder wants to paint Charis as Weston's true love, his true muse, rather than merely his last. As evidence, she shows us two contemporaneous nudes, one of Charis Wilson and one of Sonya Noskowiak, and then writes:
"The difference between the nudes ... tell a profound and wordless story. Charis's body was yielding, all curving softness ... Light loved Charis. Pictures of Sonya by Edward at nearly the same time are perhaps honest, but unkind, jutting bones, stretch-marked breasts, her rib cage poking through her pale skin."
What Alinder leaves out is that Charis is 19 years old, and Sonya 33 or 34 at the time. What these pictures tell us is not that Charis was Edward's true muse, but that Charis was young, beautiful, and Weston desired her. To which I respond: duh. This section seemed to me to wander away from merely stupid and ahistoric into the outright offensive.
May 7, 2017
Edward Westin, Ansel Adams and a number of other photographers changed the nature of photography in the 1920s and 1930s, in part as a reaction to the prevailing style, Pictorialism; this was the manner of taking photos and making them look like paintings, using the subjects of the time such as tableaux as well as dark-room techniques.
The young photographers called their group f.64, in reference to the f stop for infinity, in order to stress the importance of focus and depth of field. This in turn underscored the emphasis on the integrity of the object photographed, to see it as it is, to see it more truly than even the human eye does.
Weston was among the oldest and the best established, but Ansel Adams claimed the field of written expression of the goals of what came to be called "straight" photography. A striking feature of this group was the equality enjoyed by women members. The founding men included at the outset women photographers. Imogen Cunningham, Dorothea Lange, Consuela Kanaga, Alma Levenson, and Sonya Noskowiak benefited from the equal treatment and support they found within the group.
The history covers the early years of the artists, their coming together and deepening friendships and collaborations, the efforts made to find venues to exhibit and the close working relationships established with museum and gallery curators. The narrative is lively, following the vicissitudes of the artists and their relationships, their changing attitudes and concerns for surviving the The Great Depression, and their commitment to what they were the first to argue was a fine art. Photography was no longer second to painting. It held its own ground as a fine art.
The book includes extensive notes, an epilogue on the later work and last years of each major member of the group; a list of Group f.64 exhibitions including the first in the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco in 1934 along with the price list and an annotated price list; a list of photography exhibits at the same museum from 1930 to 1940; and a list of exhibits at the Ansel Adams Gallery in San Francisco from 1933 to 1934.
The young photographers called their group f.64, in reference to the f stop for infinity, in order to stress the importance of focus and depth of field. This in turn underscored the emphasis on the integrity of the object photographed, to see it as it is, to see it more truly than even the human eye does.
Weston was among the oldest and the best established, but Ansel Adams claimed the field of written expression of the goals of what came to be called "straight" photography. A striking feature of this group was the equality enjoyed by women members. The founding men included at the outset women photographers. Imogen Cunningham, Dorothea Lange, Consuela Kanaga, Alma Levenson, and Sonya Noskowiak benefited from the equal treatment and support they found within the group.
The history covers the early years of the artists, their coming together and deepening friendships and collaborations, the efforts made to find venues to exhibit and the close working relationships established with museum and gallery curators. The narrative is lively, following the vicissitudes of the artists and their relationships, their changing attitudes and concerns for surviving the The Great Depression, and their commitment to what they were the first to argue was a fine art. Photography was no longer second to painting. It held its own ground as a fine art.
The book includes extensive notes, an epilogue on the later work and last years of each major member of the group; a list of Group f.64 exhibitions including the first in the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco in 1934 along with the price list and an annotated price list; a list of photography exhibits at the same museum from 1930 to 1940; and a list of exhibits at the Ansel Adams Gallery in San Francisco from 1933 to 1934.
March 24, 2025
I bought this book a few years ago when I was taking photography classes and was deeply passionate about photography. However, I didn’t get a chance to read it until recently, inspired by SF Mama’s exhibition on Group f.64 and its expansion.
Reading this book feels like a photography history lesson. Some of the most famous names in photography were part of this group, including Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, and Dorothea Lange. Group f.64 emerged in California in the 1930s as a rebellion against traditional Pictorialist photography, in which photographers tried to make their images resemble paintings through soft focus and heavy manipulation. In contrast, Group f.64 aimed to establish photography as an art form in its own right, emphasizing sharp focus, a wide tonal range, and deep depth of field.
Although these West Coast photographers were rebels, some still sought the approval of Alfred Stieglitz, often regarded as the "godfather" of photography. However, he was notoriously rude and discouraging toward them—except with Ansel Adams, whom he supported.
The book is thoroughly researched and packed with historical references, making it a valuable and accurate record of Group f.64. That said, at times, it reads more like an academic paper, which can make it a bit dry. Overall, though, it’s an excellent book about this pioneering California photography movement.
Reading this book feels like a photography history lesson. Some of the most famous names in photography were part of this group, including Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, and Dorothea Lange. Group f.64 emerged in California in the 1930s as a rebellion against traditional Pictorialist photography, in which photographers tried to make their images resemble paintings through soft focus and heavy manipulation. In contrast, Group f.64 aimed to establish photography as an art form in its own right, emphasizing sharp focus, a wide tonal range, and deep depth of field.
Although these West Coast photographers were rebels, some still sought the approval of Alfred Stieglitz, often regarded as the "godfather" of photography. However, he was notoriously rude and discouraging toward them—except with Ansel Adams, whom he supported.
The book is thoroughly researched and packed with historical references, making it a valuable and accurate record of Group f.64. That said, at times, it reads more like an academic paper, which can make it a bit dry. Overall, though, it’s an excellent book about this pioneering California photography movement.
May 11, 2017
If you love historical memoirs set primarily in the 1930s/Great Depression as well as photography and the artistic process, then this book would be a perfect fit. Well-written and well-researched, the author (Ansel Adams' assistant during the last years of his life) delves into both the personal and professional struggles and triumphs of the West-Coast Group F.64 photographers, including the ongoing debate about which photographers were part of the original group and friendships and disagreements between the members. Beautifully illustrated with glossy photos in the middle and photos of the photographers themselves interspersed throughout the text.
January 17, 2018
Excellent history of some of the 20th century's most dedicated and talented photographers. Despite economic and personal hardships, these artists persisted and managed to create brilliant work that established photography as an art form in it's own right, as well as a strong catalyst for change.
April 15, 2020
I had read most of the history of Group f.64 before, so it was nice to read it in depth and get the connections and relations straight in my head and in chronological order. Only a few photos but the ones included are well done, even on the kindle.
September 20, 2018
Great read on the history of a photographic debate, and the characters involved. A bit long winded but important if you are passionate about photography.
July 10, 2022
While at times interesting, the book repeats itself to the point where half the book feels like you’ve read the lines before.
December 13, 2022
Not what I had hoped it would be.
December 2, 2014
This is one of those books where you almost feel sorry for the author. She's got an interesting subject and great command of the material; what she doesn't have is flow. This book is so choppily written, it's practically laughable. Why the publishing house did not get a better editor on this is a mystery to me.
That said - Group f.64 is a wonderful topic. The members obviously made huge contributions to the development of photography as an American art form but they were also interesting in their own rights.
I loved how the author took pains to point out that women were considered full partners - not just muses - in contrast to some of the contemporary European art movements of the time.
Read this book if you love Ansel Adams, the Westons, Dorothy Lange or Imogene Cummingham, or if you're interested in the East Coast/West Coast split but read knowing you will likely come away wondering how someone so aware of precision and style in her subjects could have so little of her own.
That said - Group f.64 is a wonderful topic. The members obviously made huge contributions to the development of photography as an American art form but they were also interesting in their own rights.
I loved how the author took pains to point out that women were considered full partners - not just muses - in contrast to some of the contemporary European art movements of the time.
Read this book if you love Ansel Adams, the Westons, Dorothy Lange or Imogene Cummingham, or if you're interested in the East Coast/West Coast split but read knowing you will likely come away wondering how someone so aware of precision and style in her subjects could have so little of her own.
September 5, 2016
Alinder focuses on the period, from about 1932 to 1940, when the loose collective known as Group f.64 (with its many typographic variations) rose to prominence in American photography—Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, and about a score of others. Dorothea Lange didn't care to be considered part of the group, while Peter Stackpole eagerly sought the recognition.
What keeps the book going is the author's pursuit of the obscurer figures, like the ghostly mathematician and painter Albert Barrows (p. 206 and n.) TIL that Berenice Abbott found Eugène Atget's lifeless body (p. 63), and that Lincoln Kirstein preceded his career as a dance impresario with a stint promoting photography (p. 121).
What keeps the book going is the author's pursuit of the obscurer figures, like the ghostly mathematician and painter Albert Barrows (p. 206 and n.) TIL that Berenice Abbott found Eugène Atget's lifeless body (p. 63), and that Lincoln Kirstein preceded his career as a dance impresario with a stint promoting photography (p. 121).
December 19, 2014
This is an extraordinarily well-written book crafted by an expert on the subject. Mary Alinder weaves together the antecedents, personalities, and aesthetics of the talented, idiosyncratic, revolutionary photographers who came to be known as Group f.64. It must have been tempting to structure the story chronologically. Alinder wisely chose the more challenging path of thematically exploring the key figures, their relationships, sponsors, and detractors with a tight focus on what was meaningful as the group coalesced and evolved. Whether or not you have acetic acid flowing in your veins—to borrow a bright phrase from Alinder—this is a thoroughly engaging tale of a revolution in photography. The photographs that complement the text, the highly readable endnotes, and the comprehensive index all add to the sense of a professional job superbly done.
December 19, 2014
Fascinating, intimate account of this momentous period of time in photographic and art history. The author's decades of research and first-hand experience with these iconic artists is evident throughout and brings sharp but endearing focus to the personal and artistic lives of Weston, Adams, Cunningham, and many others, along with their shared vision to advance photography as an art form during the depths of the Great Depression. Compelling read for anyone and a must read for any fan of photography or art history.
April 23, 2015
This isn't a perfect book, but it seems to be the only one available on this important and intriguing subject. There are so many participants that the narrative often gets diffuse or devolves into a list of which photographers participated in which exhibitions. And of course there aren't nearly enough images reproduced with the text. But she gives a strong idea of the personalities of f.64's main protagonists - I love the image of Imogen Cunningham chewing out Edward Weston for his serial infidelities.
September 16, 2017
Everyone knows Ansel Adams and Edward Weston by their images; this book gives a lot of the backstories that tell how this group that coalesced around them came together, parted, and influenced each other. Unfortunately while the book is well researched it is not dynamically written: not boring, just choppy (to borrow another reviewer's word) and awkwardly paced.
May 23, 2020
Massively disappointing. The author apparently knew members of the group but there are no great insights here. 2 stars because it does give some context for why this group was important but one could probably get that from Wikipedia. Originally I gave it only 1 because I found engagement difficult given the writing style...
February 25, 2015
I loved this book! Very enlightening and entertaining. I grew up in a photography household and a lot of these artists were familiar to me, but I think it is amazing to think of them making their work during the depression and the hardships they endured and still made ground-breaking photos.
March 25, 2015
I learned a great deal about the leading photographers in the 20th century and the importance of Stieglitz. Would have liked the book to have flowed better. Will recommend it to my collector friends.
February 26, 2015
Alinder has also written a biography of Ansel Adams. He is one of the photographers in this interesting and well-researched book. The group of West coast photographers that started the group led interesting lives. Some of the photography is presented and I like Adams and Dorothy Lange best.
April 12, 2015
Great look at how Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunnigham and co. changed the face of creative photography in the mid-20th century. If you're interested in photography, it's a great read.
January 8, 2016
Weston and Adams and Dorothea Lange
and Imogen Cunningham:
Western photographer gang,
Realist Americans.
and Imogen Cunningham:
Western photographer gang,
Realist Americans.
February 9, 2017
If you are at all interested in the history of photography you should really read this book.
October 22, 2016
Interesting history but nothing new or novel.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews