Shooting in 35
Exploring a once staple medium

The Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego will be showing the exhibition, Shooting in 35: The First 35mm Photographs through September 17^th, 2006. Consisting of twenty-five period photographs, this exhibition features the work of photographers Erich Salomon, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Robert Capa, Yevgeny Khaldei, and Arkadij Shaikhet.

Curated by MoPA’s Curator of Photography Carol McCusker, Shooting in 35 examines how the introduction of 35mm cameras and faster film in the late 1920s impacted both the field of photography and the public’s access to information. In much the same way that the medium of digital photography is shaping the two dimensional visual world we perceive today, 35mm was a breakthrough for photography in both ease of use, and for the speed at which photographs could be taken.

35mm was introduced to the market as early as 1913 but didn’t become truly popular until the launch of the Leica camera created by Oskar Barnack. Since that time it has become the staple film medium for both enthusiasts and professionals working in still and motion picture applications. It’s most popular characteristics being a perfect blend of speed, portability, and quality never before seen in a film format at the time of its introduction. Some individuals go so far as to credit 35mm with the literal explosion of accessibility to photography that took place shortly after its rise in popularity.

“The first photographers to use the 35mm camera were, for the most part, young European and Russian men experiencing firsthand radical social and political changes. They understood the new 35mm camera’s powerful ability to shape events and opinions. The large picture magazines, such as Picture Post, Vu and Life, were born from the 35mm,” says curator Carol McCusker.

In addition to photographs, Shooting in 35 includes original copies of magazines from the 1930s and cameras from the period.

More information can be found at www.mopa.org