The photographers collaborating on this book came together through a photographic art class taught at the Center for Photography at Madison. Our goal was to develop an individual “signature style” that could be expressed in a body of work, such as a portfolio, an exhibit, or a book.



What is a photographic signature style? It is a personal and sometimes unique way of looking at and capturing the world with a camera. It is what would happen if each of us were assigned to make photographs of the same tree. Each would come back with a very different image capturing the essence of that tree. One of us may take a close-up of its bark; another might make a photo of the tree in silhouette against the sky; some would create in color, others in black and white. Such an assignment would give each of us one photo of a tree for our portfolios. If we applied that assignment again and again to a forest of trees, our individual signature styles would emerge over time.