original_query: What is the significance of P.H. Emerson in the field of photography?
query: What is the significance of P.H. Emerson in the field of photography?
answer: P.H. Emerson is significant for promoting 'straight photography' as an art form, advocating for naturalistic photography, and engaging in disputes with the photographic establishment regarding the purpose and meaning of photography.  He championed single-shot, unretouched photographs as a true representation of what the eye sees, contrasting with the manipulated composites popular at the time.