The Genius of Photography

Season 12007

Documentary series exploring the history of photography - from daguerreotype to digital, from portraits to photo-journalism, from art to advertising.

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6 Episodes

E01 Fixing the Shadows

This elegant, studious documentary - the first of a six-part series - leads us from ancient Rome to the Great War. Taking as its starting point the baffling natural phenomenon of camera obscura, it reveals how mathematician Henry Fox Talbot’s inability to draw led him to pioneer photographic methods, and how the new discovery made a big impression on painter Edgar Degas. The early tussle to see which photographic process would gain the upper hand is a fascinating one. Though occasionally dry and prone to pseudobabble, it covers a lot of territory, and Denis Lawson’s arch narration is the perfect accompaniment to some unforgettable images

October 25, 2007

E02 Documents For Artists

By the end of World War One photography had become the central medium of the age. Photographers began to turn their lenses to the plight of rural victims of the American Depression and minority communities. Alexander Rodchenko and August Sander found their artistic skills put to another use by the state – as propaganda. Documents for Artists focuses on the first few decades after World War One when the potential of photography attracted the attention of artists and governments alike.

November 1, 2007

E03 Right Time Right Place

Examines the photographs of D-Day, the Holocaust and Hiroshima raising questions about history as seen through the viewfinder.

November 8, 2007

E04 Paper Movies

After World War One the potential of photography attracted the attention of artists and governments alike.

November 15, 2007

E05 We Are Family

Having conquered the street and the road, photographers approached the final frontier: the home, the self, and private life.

November 22, 2007

E06 Snap Judgements

Shows how photography has become part of the art world where a single image can cost $2.9m and, in the digital world, where all images are possible.

November 29, 2007

The Genius of Photography

E01 Fixing the Shadows

E02 Documents For Artists

E03 Right Time Right Place

E04 Paper Movies

E05 We Are Family

E06 Snap Judgements

Apocalypse: World War I

The Spoils of Babylon

Person of Interest

The Boys

Game of Thrones

Breaking Bad

Sex Education

Squid Game

Chernobyl

Emily in Paris

Lost

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

Fallout

Stranger Things

Peaky Blinders

Star Trek: Discovery

The Mandalorian

X-Men

NCIS

The Vampire Diaries

E01 Fixing the Shadows

E02 Documents For Artists

E03 Right Time Right Place

E04 Paper Movies

E05 We Are Family

E06 Snap Judgements