Charles Harbutt’s Travelog: The Best Essay About Photography Ever Written?

When photographer and former Magnum president Charles Harbutt died on June 29, we called Alex Webb, one of the many photographers Harbutt mentored, for comment. Webb described Harbutt as “a remarkable teacher” who “thought about photography in interesting ways.” Webb also said that the introductory essay Harbutt wrote for his 1974 book, Travelog, “is one of the most special pieces of writing about the process of taking photographs.” Webb noted that he didn’t agree with every word of it, but said, “Some of the things he says are so right about being a photographer and photographic perception.”