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May 12, 2007
Ansel Adams Exhibit Review
I saw an exhibit of Ansel Adams’ work in Elkhart, Indiana the other day. I had only seen a few actual prints in person, so it was a great chance to see three portfolios of his work in one place. One of the things that stands out about the show was how small the prints were. The majority of them were in the 8x10 range. I am not saying I was disappointed, I was just surprised. When you think of Ansel Adams you think larger than life.
Not surprisingly, the prints were stunning. They had a video playing and it was interesting to hear some commentary while I browsed the gallery. Those videos at museums border on humorous because their tone is gushing praise - as if the artist had transcended mortal photography to become a god. When you filter out the hero worship you realize that Ansel was just a guy that loved to hike and understood photography so deeply that he could capture the stunning beauty of nature - from the monumental scenery to the miniature moments. He was also a musician and a commercial artist. Fame didn’t come until he was retirement age and he worked extremely hard before his camera started generating big money.
Against the orders of the gallery attendant I did take a few pictures while I was enjoying the show. I set my Lego pinhole camera here and there and took some long exposures of myself looking at the prints. The act of documenting myself looking at Ansels’ photography forced me to think about the differences between myself and Adams. Ansel Adams is a master of detail and using the full gray tonal spectrum. I push for high contrast and simplifying the picture by dumping detail - things that my pinhole cameras are made for. Ansel travels to the ends of the world to find beauty that few people will ever experience. I sort through the garbage of everyday life looking at things people have seen a thousand times hoping to find something new. (That’s why I chose the name Found Photographer.)
The name “Ansel Adams” gets thrown around quite a bit by photographers and non-photographers, and I doubt that many of us have really seen and studied his work. If you have never seen an exhibit of Ansel Adam’s work I encourage you to seed it out and learn more about this amazing man.
Posted by Adrian at May 12, 2007 6:55 PM
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Comments
Adams' prints are so small because he liked to make contact prints from 8x10 negatives.
My father-in-law learned photography from him in the navy during WW II. He told me Adams preferred to make contact prints because it was easier to dodge, burn and hold back, and you got an exact image without having to mess with tilts and shifts on a large format enlarger. In fact, you don't even need an enlarger, if you have a good even light source.
Posted by: BIll at May 13, 2007 1:14 PM
If you've not done so, see if you can find a copy of his autobiography. It's a great read that covers and incredible period of change in the art form.
What came as a surprise was his comments on becoming a commercial photographer and how much is down to be a businessman and less about the work itself.
Posted by: Graham Gosling at June 24, 2007 4:02 PM
Adams is one of my favorites, along with Edward Weston. We had the Adams roadshow here a few years back and it was wonderful. Interestingly my brother married Edward Westons granddaugher, (Her father was Cole Weston). The have a number of original and Cole printed Edward Weston prints in their home. It was like a going to view a collection when we visited last year! And HEY! why did'nt you tell me you were going to see the Adams prints when you were here! :)
Posted by: Craig Lamson at July 26, 2007 6:17 PM