When I came across Color Mania: The material of Color in Photography and Film on the Fotomuseum Winterthur online bookshop, project ideas began to spark. Consisting of essays, photos and artefacts, it acts as a deeper look into a previous Fotomuseum Winterthur exhibition. I came across it during the early 2021 semi-lockdown and like many, I found myself in a post-Christmas, early year creative slump; I was looking for a book that would inspire me to pick up a camera and shoot some film. I absorbed the insights into colour in film and photography, and gained a newfound appreciation for both the technical and chemical knowledge that goes into producing colour film.

The essays mostly focus on the history of colour film, written by people specialised in this area of photography. The essays, while still being full of technical information and details, are written in a way that doesn’t make it feel like reading a scientific paper. You don’t need to be an academic to understand the contents, and I think this is really good as it can be intimidating to understand exposure when you’re starting out. Equally, as an experienced photographer, you want information that is on your level of experience. This book caters for both of these groups while still keeping a consistent tone.

I derive a lot of inspiration from motion pictures rather than still photography, and I think this was part of why found this book so enjoyable, as the book focuses heavily on the history of colour in motion pictures. The photos and coloured negatives could efficiently inspire and provide historical context for those looking to experiment with negatives. The extensive bibliography is also useful as a base for further research.  I think the book would be a valuable addition to any photographer's bookshelf.

I would’ve loved to have this book in college when I was getting into analogue photography and learning how development and darkroom techniques can alter and inform the final result. As a photographer who works with analogue materials, I think there is something enriching in learning more about the work that went into developing the foundation for photography as we know it. Even just looking at the brilliant photos and scans of negatives is inspiring and thought-provoking. The essay-based structure makes it easy to read one essay per sitting without being confused by what is happening when picking it up again.

Written By Astrid Robertsson.

Color Mania: The material of Color in Photography and Film is published by Lars Müller Publishers, and is edited by Barbara Flückiger, Eva Hielscher, and Nadine Wietlisbach.