If I had to describe Eliot Porter's photos in a few words, they would be quiet and balanced.

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The reason why I consider him a master is because:

• he taught himself how to make black-and-white prints when he was a teenager

• he became a master black-and-white printer by the mid-1930s

• he gained widespread renown for his quiet, elegantly balanced landscapes and birds

• he taught himself Kodak's new wash-off relief process