When I Was a Photographer (Mit Press)
- 336 pages
- 12 hours of reading
"Nadar tells us about his descent into the sewers and catacombs of Paris, where he experimented with the use of artificial lighting, and his ascent ino the skies over Paris in a hot air balloon, from which he took the first aerial photographs. He recounts his 'postal photography' during the 1870-1871 Siege of Paris-an amazing scheme involving micrographic images and carrier pigeons. He describes technical innovations and important figures in photography, and offers a thoughtful consideration of society and culture; but he also writes entertainingly about such matters as Balzac's terror of being photographed, the impact of photograph on a celebrated murder case, and the difference between male and female clients."
