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03/06/2005 05:16:54 PM · #1 |
As I stated in another thread, I have not read all the recent postings about Ansel Adams, so this may be repeative. I did do a quick search and could't find any reference to it.
But just in case there is anyone left who is not tired of hearing about St. Ansel....
while I was reprehensably wallowing in my ignorant bliss (or should I say blissfully wallowing in my reprehensable ignorance? or is it more correct to say ignorantly wallowing in my reprehensable bliss? can somebody please help me out with this conundrum) I found this article in Outdoor Photographer magazine.
The Ansel Adams Experience
It's not very long, doesn't go into much detail, and probably won't help you win the challenge. Just short interviews with three disciples. What impressed me is how much it seems to go against the conventional wisdom about AA as expressed in the forums here, or at least in the parts that I have read.
Read it and weep.
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03/06/2005 06:18:30 PM · #2 |
What parts seem to go against what has been said in the other threads? It all seems to be fairly well lined up with what is being said here.
The photographer thinks about what the final result should look like, placing the tones of the image where he wants them instead of where the medium's default placement. This is done by exposing and post processing to place the various zones of detail to get the greatest level of detail in the areas desired.
The rest, from subjects to dynamic range, is a matter of personal preference. AA just happened to like very contrasty landscapes ... or was it just that the landscapes he liked photographing required a lot of heavy contrast. If he preferred different subjects, his images may not have looked quite like they do.
But that is just my spare change.
David
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03/06/2005 06:26:20 PM · #3 |
Originally posted by Britannica:
What parts seem to go against what has been said in the other threads? It all seems to be fairly well lined up with what is being said here.
The photographer thinks about what the final result should look like, placing the tones of the image where he wants them instead of where the medium's default placement. This is done by exposing and post processing to place the various zones of detail to get the greatest level of detail in the areas desired.
The rest, from subjects to dynamic range, is a matter of personal preference. AA just happened to like very contrasty landscapes ... or was it just that the landscapes he liked photographing required a lot of heavy contrast. If he preferred different subjects, his images may not have looked quite like they do.
But that is just my spare change.
David |
What David said. I've read the link and it seems consistent with what I've been saying, at least; and with what most people who know AA's work have been saying as well.
Robt.
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03/06/2005 08:05:38 PM · #4 |
It was said in the forums that Adams would camp out all day waiting for the right conditions to take his shots; but Neill says he was too impatient for that.
It was said in the forums that to imitate AA you should shoot with wide angle; but Neill speaks of using 200 & 300mm lenses.
It was said in the forums that all you needed to do to imitate AA was to use the Zone System; but Neill says his "message was that photography was more than the Zone System."
The details of the challenge call him a famous B&W photog, but lots of people talk about how he did color too.
Because many people think of him as a B&W purist who refused to change with the onset of color, they assume he would frown upon photoshop; but Frye thinks he would embrace the digital darkroom.
When asked why AA has so much appeal today, the first thing that Wolfe mentions is subject matter. IMHO, the fact that most people had never seen the things that AA depicted was very helpful to him gaining fame.
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03/06/2005 08:13:27 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by coolhar:
It was said in the forums that Adams would camp out all day waiting for the right conditions to take his shots; but Neill says he was too impatient for that.
It was said in the forums that to imitate AA you should shoot with wide angle; but Neill speaks of using 200 & 300mm lenses.
It was said in the forums that all you needed to do to imitate AA was to use the Zone System; but Neill says his "message was that photography was more than the Zone System."
The details of the challenge call him a famous B&W photog, but lots of people talk about how he did color too.
Because many people think of him as a B&W purist who refused to change with the onset of color, they assume he would frown upon photoshop; but Frye thinks he would embrace the digital darkroom.
When asked why AA has so much appeal today, the first thing that Wolfe mentions is subject matter. IMHO, the fact that most people had never seen the things that AA depicted was very helpful to him gaining fame. |
A lot of people mentioned wide angle, but many of Adams's best-know images are mid-range telephoto. Bear in mind that the 200-300 mm lenses mentioned are on a view camera, not a 35mm. This was mentioned in the threads (the fact that he didn't shoot that much wide angle stuff).
That Adams agreed that photographny is "more than the zone system" is a reference to his willingness to accept alternative approaches from others; nevertheless the challenge is to use HIS style, not our own, and that's Zone System. See the difference?
That Ansel also did color is neither here nor there, his fame and his style rest on his truly great B/W work.
I stated on at least 2 occasions that Ansel would have embraced the digital darkroom wholeheartedly.
Finally, in discussion of how Ansel got so famous, it was pointed out that it was because of his subject matter, and of the need in the American people to touch and believe in "their wilderness".
So I think our threads captured him quite well...
Robt.
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03/06/2005 08:27:18 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by bear_music:
I stated on at least 2 occasions that Ansel would have embraced the digital darkroom wholeheartedly.
Robt. |
I heard the same thing from one of his assistants when I got the chance to visit AA's house/studio in Carmel a few years ago. It's my impression he was willing to use whatever tool/technique to make a print look the way he wanted. |
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03/06/2005 09:13:19 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by bear_music:
A lot of people mentioned wide angle, but many of Adams's best-know images are mid-range telephoto. Bear in mind that the 200-300 mm lenses mentioned are on a view camera, not a 35mm. This was mentioned in the threads (the fact that he didn't shoot that much wide angle stuff). |
Neill said "looking at photographs I did with a 35mm." and "I was shooting at 200mm and 300mm on the 35mm body." I take that to mean a 35mm SLR, lenses like the ones we use on our DSLRs.
Originally posted by bear_music:
That Adams agreed that photographny is "more than the zone system" is a reference to his willingness to accept alternative approaches from others; nevertheless the challenge is to use HIS style, not our own, and that's Zone System. See the difference? |
No, not exactly. I think the context indicates more than tolerance of other photographer's styles. I think it means that "that photography was more than the Zone System" was part of the message that he promoted to his followers.
Originally posted by bear_music:
That Ansel also did color is neither here nor there, his fame and his style rest on his truly great B/W work. |
I wouldn't like my chances of ribboning with a color shot, would you?
But I've grown tired of this nit-picking over a dead man's PR-inflated legacy.
I have changed my mind and decided to enter the challenge.
Message edited by author 2005-03-06 21:17:14.
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03/07/2005 07:13:27 AM · #8 |
| I think what Britannica is saying is very important to remember as these images are voted on. Did the photographer take control of the final image? Or was it just another landscape shot. As I breezed through the work on this challenge, I saw a lot of tree branches. It was good to see 2 or 3 people remember that AA took portraits as well. This one will definately be fun to vote on. I hope people leave lots of comments with their voting. |
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03/07/2005 08:38:36 AM · #9 |
| I haven't seen anyone say anything about the reason he took alot of his photos. He was fighting to create National Parks so that we could still enjoy them today and in the future. I think thats one of the reasons people looked up to him and his crew. |
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