Greetings....
I remember some months ago on this site but not sure it was this thread there was a discussion point about Ansel Adams commenting about the future of photography referencing "the electronic age." Is that correct or am I just thinking about some one else.
Many thanks.
Big Fish
In The Negative (1981, p. xii), Adams said
"I believe the electronic image will be the next major advance. Such systems will have their own inherent and inescapable structural characteristics, and the artist and functional practitioner will again strive to comprehend and control them."
If Adams was a live today he'd be shooting digitally. He was a gadget hound.
I agree but he would still be shooting LF as well due to the continued lack of ultra high resultion sensors available. He would scan his film and manipulate in PS just as many others do. I'm sure he would also be doing the shoot/stitch method with existing sensors. It saddens me that he didn't live to see the digital revolution as it unfolds.
If you can find a copy of The Playboy Interview, he talks about what he saw coming.
He was fairly accurate.
I agree that he would be taking full advantage of the available technology.
Kevin
I expect that that William Mortensen would also welcome this new technology...
It is impossible to guess how some one would have enjoyed the digital workflow. We know that Adams was no stranger to new techniques and to trying out advances in photographic processes but would he like to have swapped time in the darkroom for time in front of the computer? Maybe gladly, maybe reluctantly and perhaps not at all.
IIRC Adams considered himself first and foremost a printer and he may, like many others much perferred the darkroom over the lightroom. he might of shot large format and scanned and worked in photoshop and printed digitally or digital negatives and then printed in the darkroom. Or he might have said that digital was great but just not for him.
Too much chance of us reflecting ourselves into what Adams (or Mortensen) would have done. From my readings I am pretty sure he would not have dismissed digital and he would have been trying it from the very beginning. But how much he would have used it is harmless speculation of course.
You may have a point about the computer issue with Adams. I'm only speculation but I would guess, if he had trouble running one, he would have others do everything except actual adjustments and burning/dodging. So the actual creative part would still be his.
Greetings...Thanks for identifying the quote as was the one I was thinking about.
Is there a reference? Many appreciations.
Best...
Big Fish
For what it is worth, I just finished reading the (excellent) Mary Street Alinder bio and she mentions that late in life they bought a few early computers for word processing--Ansel seemed to take to it quite eagerly. Can't find a page reference right now...
--Darin
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