Jeanloup Sieff & Chenz - La Photo - 1976

La Photo.
Chenz & Jeanloup Sieff
Éditions Denoël, collection Connaissance et Technique, 1976 — Original edition

Considered by many great photographers and enthusiasts as one of the great classics of French silver halide photography, La Photo is a cult work for an entire generation of photographers. The book brings together two complementary approaches:

- the rigorous photographic technique of Chenz,
- and the artistic and intuitive vision of Jeanloup Sieff.

Published in 1976 by Denoël, this imposing volume of more than 300 pages covers practically all aspects of analog photography:
- lenses,
- light,
- emulsion surfaces,
- laboratory,
- development,
- enlargement,
- filters,
- optics,
- composition,
- and artistic reflection on the photographic gaze.

The first part, written by Chenz (Jacques Chenard), a recognized engineer and technician of photography and collaborator of Hara-Kiri, deals with scientific and technical aspects with a deliberately offbeat and humorous tone.

The second part is by Jeanloup Sieff, a towering figure in French photography of fashion, portrait, and nudes. Sieff develops a much more personal approach:

- relationship to light,
- choice of focal lengths,
- laboratory practice,
- search for the gaze,
- and the importance of sensitivity rather than just technique.

The book is also appreciated for:
- its free and anticonformist tone,
- its numerous black & white illustrations,
- its photographic reproductions,
- and the testimonies of photographers of the era.

Today out of print and never really replaced, La Photo is often considered a “bible” of French analog photography. It is sought after by:

- silver photographers,
- fans of Jeanloup Sieff,
- collectors of technical photo books,
- and enthusiasts of the history of 1970s photography.

Condition: Interior fresh, free of annotations and bent pages for this 1976 copy. (50 years).
Cover with a few marks at the corners, rubbed. Its spine is particularly rubbed. Binding slightly loose.
See the photos which are an integral part of the description.

Will be shipped in a neat, sturdy, trackable package.