Muybridge by Guy Delisle

This graphic novel covers a lot of Eadweard Muybridge's life, innovations and influence

Guy Delisle's art and storytelling are so engaging that I had read through this book within less than 24 hours. 

Muybridge is a name that was only a little bit familiar to me at first and his photograph showing a horse has all four hooves off the ground while galloping is a technical feat, although it's hard to appreciate from over one hundred years later. 

I had not known about his role in demonstrating the use of photography for public relations outcomes by the US Government, after the beauty of Yosemite was captured within a decade of it becoming the first national park.

These old cameras were heavy and involved to use, which reflects a commitment to camping and working in a remote location. 

Looking up Muybridge just now, I'm pondering the photographers influence on Ansell Adams -- who would become synonymous with that landscape. 

The innovations developed by Muybridge really are remarkable and Delisle links the invention of synchronised photography with the famous "bullet time" technique.

It was also interesting to learn his presentations used a moving picture technology that pre-dated cinema. 

This influence is relevant a quarter of a century later, as the recent film 28 Years Later used a portable rig of iPhones to great effect.