Jachna, Joseph D. Light Touching Silver: Photographs by Joseph D. Jachna.

Introduction by Steven Klindt. Exhibition catalog for show at Chicago Center for Contemporary Photography, Columbia College, Chicago, May 2 - June 14, 1980. Gray wraps with silver printing, no fading as often found with this book, 45 one-to-a-page illustrations, fine. Edition of 2,500 copies. [After studying photography at the Institute of Design with Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind, Jachna embarked on a career as a photography professor and artist in photography.] Not issued with ISBN number.  Summary:

Light Touching Silver: Photographs by Joseph D. Jachna is a significant exhibition catalog documenting the career and distinct visual approach of American photographer Joseph D. Jachna. Published by the Chicago Center for Contemporary Photography at Columbia College, the volume serves as a retrospective overview of Jachna's highly contemplative, abstract imagery.

The catalog introduces audiences to Jachna's unique contribution to twentieth-century photography by highlighting several core artistic developments:

• The Institute of Design Lineage: The volume traces Jachna's artistic foundations back to the renowned Institute of Design in Chicago, where he studied directly under post-war masters Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind. Their structural, graphic style heavily informed Jachna's own pursuit of formal order and high-contrast geometric layouts.

• Abstract Landscapes and Water Studies: A substantial portion of the catalog showcases Jachna's deep, decades-long fascination with nature—particularly the movement of water, ice, and snow. By isolating these elements within tight, meditative frames, his photography transforms natural topography into striking, near-tactile patterns of deep black expanses and bright light.

• The Door County Innovations: The publication details Jachna's highly experimental work produced in Door County, Wisconsin. In this landmark series, Jachna used hand-held mirrors held directly in front of the lens to intentionally disrupt, fragment, and elegantly rearrange the surrounding landscape, subverting traditional rules of photographic perspective.

• The Camera as Mediator: Beyond formal technique, the collection functions as a deeper study on the relationship between humanity and the environment. Through the juxtaposition of natural objects and his own mirrored silhouettes, Jachna's work emphasizes how the camera itself shapes and distorts our perception of physical reality.

Featuring an introduction by Steven Klindt alongside forty-five black-and-white plates, a detailed chronology, and a historical checklist of exhibitions, the catalog captures the evolution of an artist who pushed landscape photography toward a deeply subjective, experimental art form. Summary:

Joseph D. Jachna was an influential American photographer and educator celebrated for his contemplative, abstract approach to the natural landscape. Born in Chicago, he attended the city's renowned Institute of Design, where he studied under post-war photography masters Harry Callahan, Aaron Siskind, and Frederick Sommer, earning his master's degree. Jachna became highly regarded for his experimental techniques, utilizing long exposures, wide-angle lenses, and hand-held mirrors to poetically fragment and reorder natural elements like water, ice, and Midwestern landscapes. Alongside his artistic practice, he built a distinguished teaching career, first instructing alongside Siskind at the Institute of Design before joining the faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he taught for over three decades. Over his lifetime, Jachna's innovative contributions to the medium earned him international recognition, including prestigious fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.