He started in photography shooting portraits using the soft focus and pictorial mode then in vogue. He won awards in salons and recognition from his peers and patrons both. He was recognized as an excellent photographer and well paid for his work. And, after working this way or some time, he was not happy with what he was getting. Soft, dreamlike alterations of what he saw as reality did not sit well with him for various reasons. Though he was very good at the soft, dreamlike portraits people would pay for he was dissatisfied with his work.

After seeing some 'straight' photography, Weston changed directions. He gave up his romantic portraits and started using the camera for what many consider its best use... faithfully recording what is in front of the lens. He became one of the finest photographers in the world working in 'straight' photography. So much so that his influence is still felt today.

While not as famous as Ansel Adams or some others, Weston may well be the finest photographer of the natural B&W image ever. With the advocates of 'straight' photography struggling for recognition, Edward and some friends came together in a loose association whose name lives in photographic legend and history: f.64. With friends Imogene Cunningham, Ansel Adams and others, the group "sought to define photography as an art form by simple and direct presentation through purely photographic methods." "Pure photography is defined as possessing no qualities of technic, composition or idea, derivative of any other art-form."

In other words, the images speak for themselves.

While the f.64 group lives on in the legend of photography, Weston was only 'formally' associated with it for a year or so. He was not a joiner and was not really comfortable with groups and did not like being associated with ideas that were not his own. He remained friends with the others in the group but spent his time trying to create and sell his images rather than being an advocate. His independent nature & lifestyle pushed him to photograph and he did that very well.

Weston traveled and photographed and anything that interfered with his photography was eliminated from his life. His goal was excellence and he geared his entire existence to it. Nothing that competed with the creation of excellent images was allowed to stay in his world. From people to habits, if it did not help his photography, it was gone.

Stong willed and hard working describe Edward Weston. A sense of humor and a sense of purpose drove him in his work. Those who knew him were fiercely loyal and those who came to know his work became admirers. He had a profound influence on many photographers, not the least of which was Ansel Adams, who wrote in 1932, "you have a true genius for clear statement of your thoughts... I feel that we do not essentially differ in thought, but rather that we entertain several interesting variations of approach." Adams & Weston had a friendship and mutual admiration the entire time they knew each other. Both men are legends and earned the title with their work.

With Weston eliminating anything that interfered with his creating fine photographs, he never learned to drive. He often answered those who asked about his not driving by saying "When I was younger I was too poor to afford a car and after I started making some money I had my sons and others who could drive for me." The truth seems to be that Weston felt that driving would interfere with his 'seeing'. If he had to drive he would have to watch the road rather than using his eyes and whole being in concentrating in service to his camera. He was also free to 'rest his eyes' when he was not making or seeking photographs.

Edward Weston worked simply. An 8x10 or 4x5 camera, negatives developed by inspection and the images contact printed. Images spotted, then mounted and matted to be sold. He printed his images on slow contact printing papers and developed them in his Amidol developer. He had the black fingernails that came with working by hand in this developer. If one looks at the 1934 print of Edward and Charis hands you can see the telltale black fingernails.

The simple style of working was Edward Weston. Nothing interfered. Yes, he dodged and burned his images when they needed it. He developed his negatives so they gave him images that made the statement he wanted. He was creative in his printing to bring out what the image needed to say to be a 'Weston'. But he felt the great creativity in his photography was in the taking of the image, not in the darkroom.

It was in the taking, the vision, that Weston shines. His dedication and philosophy created the images he trained his camera on. His photograph follow his interests. Edward Weston is not a one note performer. If it was there and he found it visually stimulating, he photographed it. From nudes to portraits to artichokes to graves. If it was stimulating, it was a Weston image. Quality was the hallmark and full use of the film area was the way he worked.

Take good long look at the images of Edward Weston and you find he used the entire film surface to record his images. Not just a subject on film, but an image using the frame of the camera to communicate. If you would learn composition, look at the work of Edward Weston. Study the images. From personal work to the Guggenheim travels, the images stand tall today. Weston worked with contact prints where nothing is cropped out and no tricks are used. A 'straight' print that communicates the photographers vision. Weston was the master.

In the elimination if anything that would interfere with his art, his eating habits were part of the bargain. Simple, inexpensive and healthy would describe it. Pea soup was a staple. He liked it and ate of often, especially when traveling. He believed in a good diet & this was filling, nutritious and inexpensive. And, with his excellent images, could this be the 'secret'? Probably not, but it is one measure of how ordered he had his life in the quest for excellence in his photographs.

Edward Weston was never rich. Certainly not from his photographs though the did sell. His work stands today as some of the finest photography ever done. His sons carried on the tradition and legions of photographers still look at the prints of Edward Weston and are inspired. No electronic cameras and no tricks or manipulation. Just the straight vision of one who committed his whole being to creating photographs of what moved him. Edward Weston is one of the greatest examples of straight photography and dedication to art we can see.

The images stand on their own. Quiet. Eloquent. The results of a life dedicated to excellence and the tangible record of personal vision and dedication.

Painfully shy, Edward Weston came to life with his close friends, lovers & his camera as few others ever will. A man in quest of perfection who found it in photography. A man who left a legacy every photographer can see. How did he do it? As titled above, maybe the answer is Pea Soup?