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Why was Group f.64 named after the f.64 camera setting?

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Edward Weston at Point Lobos, 1945, photograph by Imogen Cunningham. — Edward Weston *Edward Weston at Point Lobos, 1945*, photograph by Imogen Cunningham.

Group f.64 was named after the smallest setting on the aperture diaphragm of the large-format cameras used by its members.12

By stopping the lens down to this smallest aperture, photographers were able to achieve maximum depth of field and exceptional resolution, which were essential to the group's "pure" and sharply detailed aesthetic. This technical choice reflected their commitment to "straight" photography—a rejection of the soft-focused, academic style of Pictorialism that was prevalent at the time. By utilizing this setting, photographers like Edward Weston and Ansel Adams could record life with high precision, capturing the "very substance and quintessence" of their subjects, whether natural or manufactured.12