Jerry Uelsmann:摄影师的创造力不会随快门的按下而结束

Jerry Norman Uelsmann

Jerry Norman Uelsmann 美国摄影师 凭借其独特的复合印刷方法（composite printing）成为超现实蒙太奇先驱。

Jerry Norman Uelsmann was an American photographer. He became the pioneer of Surreal Montage with his unique composite printing.

Uelsmann的作品影响了一代又一代的模拟和数字摄影师，虽然他很欣赏数码摄影，但却热衷于胶片摄影。他将创作过程描述为在暗室（视觉研究实验室visual research laboratory)）中的发现之旅。

His works impacted generations of analog photographers and digital photographers. Although he appreciated digital photography, he was devoted to film photography. He described the creative process as a discovery adventure in the darkroom(visual research laboratory).

Uelsmann与Ansel Adams、Edward Weston 等人的预可视的理念（previsualization）相悖，他创造了一个新术语，即后可视化——最终打印的内容是在按下快门按钮之后而不是之前决定的。

Uelsmann contrasted Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and others' previsualization. He created a new vocabulary "post visualization"——the final printed work is determined after the shutter is pressed and not before.

Ansel Adams是Uelsmann的早期坚定支持者，称他为“世界第八大奇迹”。

Ansel Adams was Uelsmann's early supporter, he called him "God's Eighth Wonder."

Ansel Adams（现实主义者）和 Jerry Uelsmann（超现实主义者）都致力于创作手工制作的图像，以风景为主的黑白照片的图像质量和焦点非常好。虽然两人各自代表了不同的艺术理论，但他们对真实性（真实感受）有共同的认同。Uelsmann 认为摄影理论不是一场竞赛。

Ansel Adams(realist) and Jerry Uelsmann(surrealist) were both dedicated to creating hand-made images, the black and white photos mainly about sceneries' quality and focus are very well. Although the two each represent different artistic theories, they had a common understanding of truth(the real feeling). Uelsmann thinks photography theory is not a competition.

Uelsmann的创造力从小便得到父母的鼓励。在大学期间，Uelsmann受到 Minor White 和 Ralph Hattersley在工艺（技术精度）以及美术摄影的情感和感知方面的影响；欣赏Minor White神秘哲学和对禅宗般冥想的热爱。Minor White关于“美术摄影师应该努力捕捉被摄对象的本质”的理念对他的影响尤为深刻。Ralph Hattersley则让Uelsmann以不同的方式看待普通的物体，认为与摄影设备相比，视觉和精神意识至关重要。

Uelsmann's creativity was encouraged by his parents from a young age. In college, Uelsmann was impacted by Minor White and Ralph Hattersley on craftsmanship(technical precision) and the emotion and perception of art photography; He appreciated Minor White's mysterious philosophy and love for zen-like meditation. Minor White's idea that "Art photographers should strive to capture the subject's essence" especially influenced him. Ralph Hattersley, however, lets Uelsmann look at ordinary objects differently, in comparison to photographic tools, visual and spiritual consciousness are vital.

Uelsmann钦佩Bauhaus摄影师的前卫技术和抽象表现主义者的直觉。他最早崇拜的是蒙太奇艺术家（1850 年代）、Oscar Rejlander 和 Henry Robinson 。梵高对Uelsmann有着特殊的影响。

Uelsmann admired Bauhaus photographers' advanced techniques and intuition of abstract expressionists. He admired Montage artists(1850s), Oscar Rejlander and Henry Robinson. van Gogh had a special impact on Uelsmann.

1962年，Uelsmann发表了他的第一篇有影响力的论文“图像和技术的相互关系”。1964年，他发表了第二篇论文“后可视化”。1967 年，他在纽约现代艺术博物馆举办了蒙太奇个展，实现了职业生涯的突破。同年，他因“摄影中多种印刷技术的实验”而获得古根海姆奖学金。在获得资助后，他研究了各种印刷技术，并尝试了蓝色和棕色等调色剂的微妙色彩。

In 1962, Uelsmann published his first influential paper "The Interrelationship of Image and Technique." In 1964, he published his second paper "post-visualization." In 1967, he held a solo montage exhibition at the New York Museum of Modern Art, realizing a breakthrough in his career. The same year, he received the Guggenheim Fellowship for "Experiments in Multiple Printing Techniques in Photography." After receiving the fund, he researched other printing techniques and tested the subtle colors of blue, brown, and other toners.

在 《“一些人文主义的考虑”摄影》论文中，Uelsmann通过具体的例子，解释了他的后期可视化过程。在进入暗室对图像进行处理之前，他会研究数百个底片；最后的印刷品可能需要数小时或数天才能完成， Uelsmann 说过程总是很神奇，反复试验是必不可少的步骤。Uelsmann认为从印刷品中唤起的感觉源于观看者的经历。

In "Some Humanistic Considerations of Photography", Uelsmann explained the process of post-visualization via specific examples. Before processing the image in the darkroom, he would study hundreds of negatives; the final print takes hours even days to complete. Uelsmann said the process is always magical, repeated experiment is an essential step. Uelsmann believed that the feeling inspired by the printing originated from the observer's experience.

Uelsmann的暗室处理工作从研究底片开始，他用数百张校样纸盖住了一张大的制图桌，在更换底片时遮盖和曝光不同区域的感光纸，各种的折叠与重叠，探索视觉的可能性，然后制定出印刷方案。进入暗室后，他把被选择的底片放入不同的放大机中，将相纸沿着放大机的线逐渐移动，从而建立起图像。在此过程中，他有可能放弃原有方案作出另一个选择，所以永远不知道图像会如何被印制完成。

Uelsmann's darkroom processing work starts with examinations of negatives. He uses hundreds of proof sheets to cover a big drafting table, when changing negatives he covers photosensitive papers of a different exposure area. After many folding and refoldings, exploring the possibility of vision, he makes the plan for printing. In the darkroom, he places selected negatives into different enlargers, and gradually moves the photographic paper along the line of the enlarger to create the image. During the process, he might give up the original plan and make another choice, so it is never known how a picture will be made.

Uelsmann通过大量暗室工作制作了有多张底片的合成照片，相同的底片可能会重复出现在作品中，一件作品的焦点也可以是另一件作品的背景。Uelsmann使用过的放大机多达十几台，曾经用5台打印机制作一张照片。当开始创作他的一张蒙太奇照片时，对自己在寻找什么有着强烈的直觉，但，出现错误是不可避免的，他认为这是创作过程的一部分。

Uelsmann made many composite photos with darkroom processes, the same negative may repeatedly appear in the works. One work's focus might be another's background. The enlargers that Uelsmann used are up to dozens, he once used five printers to make one photo. When he started to make his first montage photo, he had a strong intuition about what he is looking for, but, it is unavoidable to make mistakes, he believed that this is part of the creative process.

Uelsmann 认为最终图像不必是单个底片的产物。他将多张照片无缝融合到一张重塑现实的图像上。在暗室里，他结合了多张照片的元素来创造新的东西，成为了超现实主义图像的制造者。

Uelsmann believed that the final images do not have to be a single negative product. He seamlessly blended many photos into one image that reshapes reality. In the darkroom, he combined elements from multiple photos to create new things, becoming the creator of surreal images.

Uelsmann对传统风景和静物摄影的美学保持了一定的忠诚度，因为每个连续元素的接缝和边缘都被隐藏起来，由此产生的合成暗示了单一视图或场景的统一。Uelsmann 照片的隐喻和象征力量来源于这些并置、一致性和形式。Uelsmann 的蒙太奇照片延续了 1930 年代和 40 年代先锋派摄影师和画家开创的超现实主义摄影传统：正负空间颠倒，泥土和水中出现虚假的倒影。

Uelsmann had a certain loyalty to the aesthetics of traditional landscapes and still object photography because all the borders of continuous elements are hidden. Therefore the produced combination informs a single view or the uniformity of sceneries. Uelsmann's metaphor in his photos and representative power came from these combinations, uniformity, and forms. Ueslmann's montage photos carried on the tradition of surreal photography that pioneers in the 1930s and 40s had opened: positive and negative spaces reversed, false reflections in dirt and water.

从 1960 年代中期开始，Uelsmann为他的大多数照片选择了“无题”这个标题，以引起各种不同的解释。他将自己的角色描述为一个喜欢在暗室工作又“毫无歉意”的浪漫主义者。Uelsmann充满热情，但也能在暗室里独自度过几天。John Paul Caponigro评价Uelsmann时说：幽默感和活泼性帮助Uelsmann处理了作品中生活的阴暗面，音乐为他的暗室工作注入了活力。

Beginning in the mid-1960s, Uelsmann chose "Untitled" for most of his photos to inspire different explanations. He described his character as a romanticist who loves to work in the darkroom and is "unapologetic." Uelsmann was full of enthusiasm but was also able to spend days alone in the darkroom. John Paul Caponigro said about Uelsmann: "Humor and liveliness helped Uelsmann process the darker side of life in his works, music added vitality to his darkroom works.

在 20 世纪中叶，摄影还在被定义的时候，Uelsmann 并不关心当时的照片分离主义者或其他现实主义者的界限，他只是希望与观众分享他以蒙太奇为手段想象中的图像；Uelsmann不寻求创造叙事，而是制造“深不可测的寓言，超现实主义形象”。

In the mid-20th century, when photography was still being defined, Uelsmann did not care about the border between photo separatism and other realism, he solely hoped to share the imagined photo he made by montage techniques; Uelsmann did not pursue documentary, but to create "unfathomable fable, surreal image."

许多人认为Jerry Uelsmann的作品很有趣，但是，过于被操纵便不是摄影。

Many think that Jerry Uelsmann's works are interesting, but over manipulation is not photography.

Uelsmann谦逊的认为自己每年输出的 100-150 张照片中只有 10% 到 15% 经受住了时间的考验。在当 Photoshop兴起后，超现实主义得到了复兴，Uelsmann 的作品被年轻的摄影师追捧。

Uelsmann humbly thought that the 100-150 photos that he creates every year, only 10% to 15% have handled the challenge of time. When Photoshop began to rise, surrealism got a revival, and Uelsmann's works are sought after by young photographers.

尽管Uelsmann的作品与数字技术密切相关，有 “Photoshop之父”的绰号，但他仍坚持使用传统设备。Uelsmann不相信摄影师的创造力会随按下快门而结束，他的作品助力了扩大摄影的艺术界限。Uelsmann希望他的照片是开放式的，让观众看到想看到的东西，并且具有明显的象征意义。

Although Uelsmann's works are closely tied to digital techniques and hold the nickname of "Father of Photoshop", he insisted on using traditional tools. Uelsmann did not believe photographers' creativity will end with the shutter being pressed. His works help broaden the art limit of photography. Uelsmann hoped that his photos are open, let the audience see what they want to see, and contain obvious representative meanings.