Starting tonight, and running Thursdays through November 29, BBC Four will air a documentary series in the UK titled The Genius of Photography. In an essay on the BBC's website, Tim Kirby, the show's producer, tracks the evolution of photographs from snapshots into fine art. In an era when the "minutiae of daily life is the stuff of contemporary art," he writes, the camera is particularly well suited to capture the contemporary ethos.
The article begins with a quote on the subject from David Byrne: "The eye and brain edit things out," he says, "so you only see the things you're interested in. The camera sees what it wants to see, but it's not exactly what the eye wants to see. It's like having another eye that you hold in your hand, but it's an interesting, different kind of eye."
To read the essay, visit news.bbc.co.uk. Those in the UK can catch the broadcast Thursdays on BBC Four at 9 PM BST.
For photos by David Byrne, visit davidbyrne.com.
