This is not photography: the story of Jerry Uelsmann & Maggie Taylor

Mike Rankin

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Sure, you know lynda.com offers a tremendous variety of instructional videos on topics like design, photography, audio/video, web, business, and more. But did you also know they produce documentary films profiling some of the most interesting artists and designers working today? Currently, there are 40 documentaries in the lynda.com library, ranging from a 17-minute short on how the creative agency Big Spaceship goes about creating an animated logo, to a 2-hour profile of Graphic Artist Marian Bantjes.

The lastest lynda.com documentary is entitled Jerry Uelsmann & Maggie Taylor: This is not photography. The 95-minute film tells the story of two artists who also happen to be husband and wife. Jerry is known for pioneering darkroom techniques that anticipated Photoshop effects years before Photoshop ever existed. Maggie is known for surreal creations that combine scanned objects, old photographs, and Photoshop wizardry.

Here’s the film description from lynda.com:

He experiments in a darkroom. She composes on a computer screen. Together, husband-and-wife artists Jerry Uelsmann and Maggie Taylor create haunting, layered dreamscapes that push the boundaries of photography’s possibilities. This documentary from lynda.com explores both the technical and emotional aspects of Jerry’s and Maggie’s work, from the composition to the criticism, with insight from other preeminent voices in photography.

Step inside the artists’ quiet Florida compound for a peek at their complementary work, contrasting processes, and inspiration-seeking expeditions through an alligator-dwelling swamp. 

In the darkroom and on the desktop, two artists are inspired to push the boundaries of photography.

The full film is available to lynda.com subscribers, but a 12-minute segment called Jerry’s Story is available for anyone to view. Also, you can watch the film’s trailer here.