Edward Weston produced a series of works that defined modern photography during the 1920s. His still lifes, desert landscapes, and nudes are precise, elegant, technically detailed, without manipulation. He uses the camera lens and film to the fullest. His quality and style is sexual, intimate, and pure. He is considered a straight photographer that is concerned with the world of nature. The techniques that Weston uses vary as much as his subjects do. Some exposure times of Weston's photographs were much longer than others. He uses transient effects of light and atmospheres. He was able to control the form and tone of his subjects completely and create almost surreal images that makes the observer contemplate the subject. They are more distinctive than other photographs. His photographs of nudes, desert landscapes, and plants sets him apart from other photographers because he is able to capture the beauty of each. .
Edward Weston's nude studies are visually fascinating. The positions of lighting elicits different emotions. Photographs 1, 2, and 3 all depict the female form. While observing the first photograph, the viewer almost thinks of an arid climate and gentle sloping dunes. Weston lights the rib cage and the background area above it. It feels as if the subject's breath denotes life. The photograph is slightly out of focus making the shadows of the female body more fluid. By doing so, the observer can almost feel the serenity of the subject and finds peace from experiencing this photograph. .
In photograph 2, the lighting is much more muted. Weston used this muting as well as darker shadows to convey the subject's mood. His positioning of the model, her head down and to the side and arms encircling her legs denotes the woman's conflicts and moodiness. She is positioned in the corner of a room to convey her feeling trapped and helpless. She can be thought of as a prisoner of her circumstances unwilling or unable to break free.
