The Mountain Nymph, Sweet Liberty by Julia Margaret Cameron

Mary Hillier and Two Children by Julia Margaret Cameron

Julia Margaret Cameron, Mary Hillier and Two Children, 1864, albumen print from collodion negative mounted on paperboard, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Patrons' Permanent Fund 1995.36.67

Julia Jackson by Julia Margaret Cameron
Julia Margaret Cameron, Julia Jackson, 1867, albumen print from collodion negative mounted on paperboard, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Patrons' Permanent Fund 1995.36.66

Although the photographic press criticized her soft-focus images, Cameron had no desire to produce sharply focused descriptions of her models. She wanted to create great photographs, with the subtle qualities of light and shadow that she admired in painting. Her use of the collodion process and her decision to stop focusing when "coming to something which, to my eye, was very beautiful...." instead of using the tight focus "all other photographers insist upon," helped Cameron transform her photographic vision into the fine art she worked so hard to achieve.