- Photo Luminism -

A Photographic Gallery by W. Franklin Aultman

lu•min•ism

a style of landscape painting practiced by some mid-19th-century American artists, esp. of the Hudson River School, that emphasized meticulously crafted realism and a technically precise rendering of atmosphere and of the effects produced by direct and reflected light.

The photographic images below were inspired by the luminous style of painting of the Hudson River School, thus the photographer refers to them as Photo-Luminism. Color photographic technology was not available during the time of the Hudson River School. However, this photographic collection attempts to replicate visual references the Hudson River School painters witnessed in their study and documentation of luminism. Spiritual events like these moved Hudson River School artists to capture luminous moments on canvas.

Some noteworthy Hudson River School artists were Thomas Cole, Frederic Church, Sandford R. Gifford, J.F. Cropsey, A.B. Durand, George Inness and J.F. Kensett, to name only a few.

The images below where taken at Vintage East, a historic compound located near Olana (Frederic Church's home), Mount Merino and South Bay just outside Hudson, New York. These areas are known to be primary locations the Hudson River School painters used to create some of America's greatest masterpieces. This area of New York's Hudson River Valley has a quality of luminous light not found anywhere else in the world.

All of the photographic images below were taken of the same view looking East at early morning. The purpose of this study is to show how light and atmospheric conditions change from one day to the next. The photographer's goal is to capture the art of nature and the creation of light.