Beyond Reality: The 4 Stages of Subjective Photography and Otto Steinert's Vision

Today's article came about at the suggestion of master photographer Louis Guermond.

Starting from a visual manifesto that redefined art in the 1950s, today we explore the fragile boundary between the simple recording of reality and "absolute photographic creation." How can we free the camera from the constraint of copying the surrounding world to create a new, pure form, using only light?

When we look at a photograph, our primary instinct is to ask: "What does it represent?" or "Where was it taken?". For decades, photography was considered a mere documentary tool, a faithful mirror of reality. However, in the 1950s, the German photographer and physician Otto Steinert revolutionized this concept by founding the Subjektive Fotografie (Subjective Photography) movement.

Steinert proposed a radical idea for that time: photography should not just be an objective copy of the world, but an expression of the creator's inner vision. The camera is not just a recording device, but a brush with which the artist writes using light.

Based on the founding texts of this movement, we can divide the evolution of the photographic act—and, implicitly, the maturation of any visual artist—into four distinct stages. The ultimate goal? Reaching the fourth step: total liberation.

1. The Pure Photographic Copy (Imitation)

This is the basic level, dominated by utilitarian, documentary photography, and amateur snapshots. Here, the main goal is the most exact reproduction of a subject. The photographer acts mechanically, focusing on correct exposure and sharpness. The subject dictates the image, and the result is a simple "photo-souvenir."

2. The Photographic Copy Tending Toward Representation (Interpretation)

On this step, the human already assumes the role of a mediator. We begin to feel the personal vision of the photographer. The photographed object is still the main motif of the image, but the aesthetics, framing, and light are consciously chosen to emphasize the beauty or interest of that subject. This is what we usually call a "successful" or "beautiful" photograph.

3. Photographic Creation Tending Toward Representation (The Subject as a Pretext)

A major psychological leap occurs here. The photographer is no longer interested in the intrinsic value of the object. The subject becomes merely a pretext, a starting point for a creative intention. A tree is no longer just a tree; it becomes a shape, a silhouette, an element of contrast in a rigorously designed composition. Here lies the boundary between utilitarian photography and visual art.

Stage 4: Absolute Photographic Creation

This is the supreme stage, the final challenge of subjective photography. Absolute photographic creation completely abandons any intention of reproducing reality.

If in the first three stages the object retained its identity in one form or another, in the 4th stage, a dematerialization of it takes place. How is this achieved?

Form subjugates reality: The physical subject is subjected to extreme processes of photographic variation (long exposures, intentional movement, abstract angles, extreme macros).
Total abstraction: The vision becomes so abstract that the initial reality is unrecognizable. The object simply becomes a formal element, a patch of contrast, a leading line—a mere foundation stone in the architecture of the composition.
Light becomes sovereign: As the theoreticians of subjective photography emphasized, at this level, light is no longer just the medium through which we see an object, but becomes the subject itself.

A classic example of this liberation is the photogram or luminogram—images obtained directly on photosensitive paper, without the use of a camera, merely through the pure play of light sources and obstacles.

A Challenge for the Modern Photographer

In an era where we daily generate millions of "pure photographic copies" with our mobile phones, Otto Steinert's vision is more relevant than ever. Absolute creation challenges us to stop looking through the viewfinder to see what is in front of us, and instead discover what is inside us.

The next time you pick up your camera, ask yourself: Am I about to copy an object, or am I ready to use light to create an entirely new reality?