Rexer Introduction

This chapter introduces Lyle Rexer's thought-provoking and philosophical book, 15 Pictures to Understand Photography. Immediately, readers are asked the question, "What is photography?" According to Rexer there is substance to photography that transcends what you see in any given photograph. It is this transcendental quality that distinguishes photography as an art form from photography as an everyday commonality that is often ignored. I agree with Rexer in that photographs have become so common in society today. It makes me feel as though photographs have lost their meaning as well. This chapter introduces interesting ideas about how to approach discussing and teaching about photography. This book will only discuss fifteen individual photographs. Initially, to me, this seems boastful to claim, however Rexer also explains that this format allows the focus of the book to be on the photographs themselves rather than on the principles of photography. I am interested in how this approach to understanding photography will evolve as we dive further into the book.

"The environment in which people encounter photography is at least as important as the subject within the frame, and that environment, the atmosphere of looking, has changed."   -Lyle Rexer