Favorite Ansel shot and why. [Archive] - Large Format Photography Forum

venchka

11-Apr-2009, 17:39

Frozen Lake and Cliffs, Sequoia National Park 1932. Whenever I see it, I have difficulty turning away from it (a reproduction of it in a book, anyway). www.anseladams.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1860

David,

Same here. I have it in 3 books. Last Decemeber I saw IT! Up close and personal. Stunning!

On a personal note: The more I use my new Fujinon-W 125mm/5.6 46mm filter diameter lens the more I love it! You were absolutlely correct about this lens.

darr

11-Apr-2009, 17:41

Tetons and the Snake River
http://www.anseladams.com/ProductImages/aa_originals/1701186102.jpg

It makes me want to be there!

Alan Davenport

11-Apr-2009, 17:46

I have to also go with Frozen Lake and Cliffs. Adams distilled the moment into pure tones, forms and textures. It is timeless.

sun of sand

11-Apr-2009, 18:00

Fresh Snow, Yosemite Valley
There is an uncommon favorite

why
I can just imagine him walking and walking and

Tenaya, dogwood, rain
Forest, Castle rock state park, california
Oak tree in snowstorm
?wild iris? jpg is oof digisnap ..can't find title

Clearing winter storm
well
Fiskes version
Adams made a more dynamic print and perhaps was a clearer moment in time
I happened upon george fiske somewhere and thought he was great ..then later read Ansel had seen his works and was quite impressed ..more so than many others better known at the time -due to fiske losing negatives
totally agree

Vaughn

11-Apr-2009, 19:18

http://www.anseladams.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1046

Tenaya Creek, Dogwood, Rain

For two reasons... 1)...I love the value of the rocks, and 2) as strange as it may seem, it seems to me to be most like the work I do in the redwoods.

I saw this print for the first time at the Weston gallery in Carmel. It was very low on the wall and I sat on the floor and just looked at it for a long time.

Vaughn

Bill_1856

11-Apr-2009, 19:20

My favorites are Clearing Winter Storm (Yosemite Valley), and the Aspins.
My first major print purchase (1975?) was "Moonrise, Hernandez" (which now hangs on the wall above my computer), bought at Lee Witkin's final AA show when he announced that he was not taking any more print orders. It was the "star" of the show, and I assumed that everyone knew more than I did. Frankly, it still doesn't do anything for me. Wish that I'd sold it when the prices were high.

venchka

11-Apr-2009, 19:20

On the other hand, can anybody pick just one?

David Karp

11-Apr-2009, 19:46

There are others that have powerful appeal for me. These include Clearing Winter Storm, Golden Gate Before the Bridge, and the Aspens. The Aspens have a particular appeal because they were the first prints I ever saw printed by a master printer. I had seen many nice prints, but I saw a show at the Museum of Modern Art in NY, and the Aspens were the nicest prints in the show. And this was a show that included work of many many famous photographers. None of the other prints even came close. Some, I wondered why they were so highly regarded. Very, very well seen. Not so well printed. Those Aspen prints just sang.

I have seen other prints, perhaps better printed, since, but those Aspens were a revelation to me.

Wayne: Happy you like the Fuji 125. So far, I have not heard from anyone who has one that does not really like it.

Kirk Fry

11-Apr-2009, 20:02

Mount Williamson, the biggest thing in the picture is the rock. I like rocks. :-)
This is the picture that hooked me on large format. Only it took me a while to discover you could not make pictures like this with a 35mm camera. Even with the right equipment I will never take a picture half that good.

K

venchka

11-Apr-2009, 20:10

David,

The Aspens are also among my favorites of the favorites. One of them was hanging near Frozen Cliffs in the exhibit I saw last December. A treat for sure.

windpointphoto

11-Apr-2009, 20:21

Jan Pedersen

11-Apr-2009, 20:25

Frozen Lake is my favorite to, i am actually surprised to see that several forum members have the same feeling toward this print. I like it mostly because it in addition to be a fine winter landscape also add an abstract feeling to it, this i don't think was very common in Ansel's long career.

Merg Ross

11-Apr-2009, 21:48

Frozen Lake and Cliffs, Sequoia National Park 1932. Whenever I see it, I have difficulty turning away from it (a reproduction of it in a book, anyway). www.anseladams.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1860

I have always thought this to be Ansel's finest image. Well composed, not overly dramatic, and much to contemplate.

eric mac

11-Apr-2009, 21:52

I was lucky enough to see the Ansel Adams exhibit twice at the Bellagio in Las Vegas (don't laugh). My favorite photo is still the Georgia O'Keefe and Orville Cox one. Seeing what real black tones are with detail is a treat. Her mischevious expression balanced with Orville's look always brings a smile to my face. I know- if I like candids, I should stick to Winograd or Bresson.

Why not one his great landscapes? I think I am overwhelmed by magnitude of his work. Maybe the landscape stuff has been reduced to a cliche with all the posters and whatnot, hence I can't recall one that sticks in my mind. However being able to compare the real photos with the crap in the gift shop gave me a real appreciation of his work.

Eric

mrladewig

11-Apr-2009, 22:57

I like the O'keefe and Orville Cox shot alot too. The New Mexico Aspen shots are high on my list. The Frozen Lake shot mentioned above is really nice as well.

But despite the fact that my own interests are in landscape photography, Ansel Adams is not my favorite photographer.

neil poulsen

11-Apr-2009, 23:37

My favorite that comes to mind is the oak tree in the snow storm with the mountain behind it. Since it's one of his special editions, I'm lucky enough to have that print.

jnantz

12-Apr-2009, 05:26

i am not a gigantic adams fan,
but i do like some of his early work
i searched for an example on the web to post
but can't find it ... the one of the native american dancing in full regalia ...
it shows movement and soul, and is as romantic as his landscape images
tend to be ... and it isn't a deadpan or highly stylized or "set up" portraits ..

Scott Knowles

12-Apr-2009, 05:45

"View of the Sierras at dawn from Lone Pine", I have a large poster print on my wall (like I can afford a real print). Same thought as the Teton Mountains shot, would love to be there.

As for "Tetons and the Snake River", I have been there. It's not hard to find (behind a roadside stop for a historic building). It's hard to get to as it's blocked with "No Trepassing" signs, but if you're willing, it's NPS property, you can just jump the fence and walk at to the spot.

Steve M Hostetter

12-Apr-2009, 06:47

First off, I can't pick a favorite image because they are all great to me..! If I absolutly have to pick just one I'd say the shot of the spotlit horses... I think it was shot in Jackson Hole,, maybe Lone Pine ,, I can't remember. Not an easy photo to find on the net.
Ansel was and is my favorite photographer of all time (Karl Struss 2nd) and I know I should know the title of the image but oh well, sorry Ansel

why do I like the image so much..? I guess I relate to it

Scott Knowles

12-Apr-2009, 09:18

If I absolutly have to pick just one I'd say the shot of the spotlit horses... I think it was shot in Jackson Hole,, maybe Lone Pine...

I got the name wrong, it's Winter Sunrise, Sierra Nevada, from Lone Pine (http://www.usc.edu/schools/annenberg/asc/projects/comm544/library/images/533.html), but I've seen it labelled as View of the Sierras at sunrise from Lone Pine. Either way, I like it.

I've often wonder the location to go there. I've travelled highway 395 but not that far south, yet anyway. Maybe some day to chance to be there for a moment of discovery.

Andrew O'Neill

12-Apr-2009, 09:30

"Clearing Winter Storm"

David Karp

12-Apr-2009, 09:37

Frozen Lake is my favorite to, i am actually surprised to see that several forum members have the same feeling toward this print.

This thread started me thinking about this. Perhaps, the reason is that, as photographers, many of us believe we could make some of Adams's other photos. Whether true or not, it appears that some of the photos were just a matter of being there at the right time with the right light. For example, Clearing Winter Storm is an awesome photograph. But, it is hard to miss. The scene itself is awe inspiring. The storm was beautiful. Executed well. You don't have to be Adams or anyone else to realize the beauty of the location or the opportunity given by the storm. He chose a normal lens. We might have chosen a 450mm or a 250mm, or framed it slightly differently with the 300mm, but the idea is basically the same. Adams gets credit for his execution of the idea, but we feel we could have done it, given the chance. Of course, once he made many of his photos, and we have spent years looking at them, they start to look like gimmees, even if they truly were not. Would you have isolated those Aspens and printed the photo that way? Really?

On the other hand, Frozen Lake and Cliffs was, clearly, not obvious. I think the story is that he was with several other photographers, and he is the only one who came back with that photo. It is abstract, it is unusual. It is the product of his imagination more than anything else.

Like my friend (and I am sure many others) has often said, photography is at least as much about exclusion as inclusion, and that photographs are made around the edges (by what you choose to keep in or keep out). Frozen Lake and Cliffs is an outstanding example of this idea.

Bill_1856

12-Apr-2009, 09:44

[QUOTE=Scott Knowles;457963As for "Tetons and the Snake River", I have been there. It's not hard to find (behind a roadside stop for a historic building). It's hard to get to as it's blocked with "No Trepassing" signs, but if you're willing, it's NPS property, you can just jump the fence and walk at to the spot.[/QUOTE]

Last time I was there (1994) it was a designated scenic overlook right off the main highway from Yellowstone to Jackson. Unfortunately, much of the river curve is/was obstructed by tree growth, (where are forest fires when you need them?).
I do not generally care for Minor White's work, but his similar shot of the Tetons puts AA's to shame.

ljsegil

12-Apr-2009, 12:32

"Early Morning, Merced River", perhaps because it is not such an obvious shot, but rather one that was made by Ansel's remarkable ability to see the new play of light on a subject he had viewed hundreds of times before. I find the tonality he creates in the photo beautiful, and the composition very pleasing in a natural, unforced way. The recent demise of the tree only makes me appreciate the image more, and I may soon take the plunge and purchase an Alan Ross print.
I too would vote for "Tenaya Creek, Dogwood, Rain" for I feel it shares many of the qualities of "Early Morning", and add "Cathedral Spires and Rocks" for one of my favorite of Ansel's pictorialist images.
How can you go wrong, really?
Perhaps not all his work was original, much may have been derivative, but the overwhelming greatness of the body of his work is astonishing and a joy to be privileged to admire.
LJS

wclavey

12-Apr-2009, 16:00

...the Aspens. The Aspens have a particular appeal because they were the first prints I ever saw printed by a master printer. I had seen many nice prints, but I saw a show at the Museum of Modern Art in NY, and the Aspens were the nicest prints in the show. And this was a show that included work of many many famous photographers. None of the other prints even came close. Some, I wondered why they were so highly regarded. Very, very well seen. Not so well printed. Those Aspen prints just sang.

I have seen other prints, perhaps better printed, since, but those Aspens were a revelation to me.

Absolutely! I remember seeing that print for real many years ago and being completely blown away. Wayne and I saw it again at the Adams show this past summer. Every time I go out to shoot trees & woods, that print is on my mind.

Steve M Hostetter

12-Apr-2009, 16:05

I got the name wrong, it's Winter Sunrise, Sierra Nevada, from Lone Pine (http://www.usc.edu/schools/annenberg/asc/projects/comm544/library/images/533.html), but I've seen it labelled as View of the Sierras at sunrise from Lone Pine. Either way, I like it.

I've often wonder the location to go there. I've travelled highway 395 but not that far south, yet anyway. Maybe some day to chance to be there for a moment of discovery. Thank you Scott! yep thats it..

jnantz

12-Apr-2009, 16:51

finally figured out what it was called ... eagle dance -

Kirk Keyes

12-Apr-2009, 21:08

Tetons and the Snake River
http://www.anseladams.com/ProductImages/aa_originals/1701186102.jpg

It makes me want to be there!

Me too. And I've been there. Ansel was lucky they had cut the trees down back then. They are starting to get too tall and block the view of the river nowadays.

Alan Rabe

13-Apr-2009, 11:45

"Whether true or not, it appears that some of the photos were just a matter of being there at the right time with the right light. For example, Clearing Winter Storm is an awesome photograph."

According to 40 examples this was his 34th or so trip to that spot in such conditions. Sometimes it is luck but usually it is persistance that gets the shot.

David Hedley

13-Apr-2009, 12:53

I like many of the photographs already mentioned, and others, but the one that is my personal favourite and which did more than any other to convince me to try large format photography is Mt. Williamson, Sierra Nevada, from Manzanar, California;

http://www.polkmuseumofart.org/content/images/interior/exhibitions/FY%2006-07/adams_big.jpg

Ken Lee

13-Apr-2009, 12:59

Mt. Williamson: Dunno if it's his best image, but as a teenager, I saw it in a copy of "Popular Photography" magazine, and it put me on this pathway.

Brad Rippe

13-Apr-2009, 13:58

If someone said I could have any Adams photograph I want, it would be Moonrise. So many incredible elements came together in that photograph. The Sangre De Cristo mountain range with those unreal lenticular clouds, sandwiched between the dark sky with the moon, and the cemetery foreground. I remember seeing it in San Francisco about 35 years ago and just stood there for a very long time trying to absorb it.
Evening Cloud, Ellery Lake would be number two
-Brad

gary892

13-Apr-2009, 17:03

It is impossible for me to select my most favorite image of Ansel Adams' but Winter Sunrise: Sierra Nevada from Lone Pine is one I enjoy. I have been to Lone Pine many times and I have yet to find the location from which he made the image. I would like to just stand in the same spot and take it all in. Why here, why not 100 feet one way or the other. What lens and camera did he use, etc...

If someone knows the exact location I would really appreciate a private message.

I don't want to make an image from the same spot just admire it.

Gary

Barry Trabitz

13-Apr-2009, 21:40

I was admiring the Aspen photograph at the AA retrospective at MOMA several years ago. A young couple approached: SHE:" oooh that's wonderful " HE: " yes but you can tell just where he hung his floodlights to make the shot." ME: I was tempted---but I remained speechless.

vintagemxr

15-Apr-2009, 00:57

Coming out of "lurk mode" for a moment to cast my humble vote for "Rose And Driftwood." I have always been amazed by how much was done with two objects that came to hand unplanned and spawned a moment of creativity. I saw an exhibition of Adam's work 20+ years ago and "Rose and Driftwood" was one of the two images that I remember the best.

I have one of the inexpensive prints of "Rose and Driftwood" hanging above my desk and I study it often trying to fix in my mind how I should SEE detail instead of just going for the more obvious drama or overt shapes of a scene or object. So far I have proved to be a slow learner. :o

Doug

Jim Galli

15-Apr-2009, 07:47

Edward Weston, Carmel Highlands I suppose I like it because it's out of character for Ansel, he had to momentarily step out of his comfort zone, and it is excellent.....

Merced River, Cliffs, Autumn Quintessentially Ansel. I like the shots without sky. Simply a gorgeous picture.

DJGainer

15-Apr-2009, 08:00

Clearing Winter Storm, but I'll admit I've only seen some of his many works. I like the mood and action in the image. When looking at it I feel like I am almost there.

Brian Ellis

15-Apr-2009, 10:17

This thread started me thinking about this. Perhaps, the reason is that, as photographers, many of us believe we could make some of Adams's other photos. Whether true or not, it appears that some of the photos were just a matter of being there at the right time with the right light. For example, Clearing Winter Storm is an awesome photograph. But, it is hard to miss. The scene itself is awe inspiring. The storm was beautiful. Executed well. You don't have to be Adams or anyone else to realize the beauty of the location or the opportunity given by the storm. He chose a normal lens. We might have chosen a 450mm or a 250mm, or framed it slightly differently with the 300mm, but the idea is basically the same. Adams gets credit for his execution of the idea, but we feel we could have done it, given the chance. Of course, once he made many of his photos, and we have spent years looking at them, they start to look like gimmees, even if they truly were not. Would you have isolated those Aspens and printed the photo that way? Really?

On the other hand, Frozen Lake and Cliffs was, clearly, not obvious. I think the story is that he was with several other photographers, and he is the only one who came back with that photo. It is abstract, it is unusual. It is the product of his imagination more than anything else.

Like my friend (and I am sure many others) has often said, photography is at least as much about exclusion as inclusion, and that photographs are made around the edges (by what you choose to keep in or keep out). Frozen Lake and Cliffs is an outstanding example of this idea.

Maybe we could have done Clearing Winter Storm if we had been there but would we have done what Adams did to get there? IIRC from his description of the making of that photograph, he was sitting in his warm house sipping a cup of coffee on a cold morning and noticed some interesting things developing in the sky. Because of his knowledge of the area he suspected there might be a good photograph in the area given what was happening in the sky. So he forgot about the coffee, hurriedly got dressed, raced out the door and hiked to the area as fast as he could. I can't speak for others but I suspect I'd have moved closer to the fire, finished the coffee, and figured I'd get out there later when things had warmed up a bit.

Jim Galli

15-Apr-2009, 10:21

tgtaylor

15-Apr-2009, 10:50

Poor Ansel. Living in a sub standard house in Yosemite. He really suffered for those shots.

I thought he had a suite at the Ahwahnee - played the piano for the rent. :D

All joking aside, I recall seeing a video of Ansel that was filmed at his suite at the Ahwahnee.

Doug Howk

15-Apr-2009, 11:16

This thread encouraged me to look thru his books including 400 photos. The Frozen Lake and Cliffs stands out for it appears very uncharacteristic of Adams - maybe he was channeling Brett Weston ;-) Can it be considered his best when other images like Clearing Storm are more characteristic of Adams' style and subject matter?

David Karp

15-Apr-2009, 12:06

Maybe we could have done Clearing Winter Storm if we had been there but would we have done what Adams did to get there? IIRC from his description of the making of that photograph, he was sitting in his warm house sipping a cup of coffee on a cold morning and noticed some interesting things developing in the sky. Because of his knowledge of the area he suspected there might be a good photograph in the area given what was happening in the sky. So he forgot about the coffee, hurriedly got dressed, raced out the door and hiked to the area as fast as he could. I can't speak for others but I suspect I'd have moved closer to the fire, finished the coffee, and figured I'd get out there later when things had warmed up a bit.

Well, I don't want anyone to think that I believe that I absolutely could have made that photo and equal AA's. However, I do think that it is within the realm of possibility for many photographers.

As far as being there in the right weather. I have gone to Yosemite several times in the winter, and wish I could do it more frequently. I spend the entire day outside if I can. I actually have raced up to the same vicinity from where AA made that photo when I see interesting things developing. One time, it actually turned into something very nice, and I made a pretty decent photo there. We go in when the light is gone, have some hot chocolate or coffee, and wonder whether our images will turn out the way we hope. (Well I do. Now my wife uses her digital camera.) :)

Keith S. Walklet

15-Apr-2009, 13:07

All joking aside, I recall seeing a video of Ansel that was filmed at his suite at the Ahwahnee.

I think you may be mistaken. Ansel didn't have a suite at The Ahwahnee. He and Virginia lived in a home just behind the Ansel Adams Gallery.

He did work with Yosemite Park and Curry Company creating images to promote park facilities (including the Ahwahnee) and activities until 1938, and directed the Bracebridge up until 1973, but his son Michael insists that rumors that he played the piano at The Ahwahnee were not true.

rfesk

15-Apr-2009, 13:22

Not to take away from many others but for me it is "Moonrise" because of the subject matter which is really moving for an Easterner in addition to the artistic rendering and excellent printing from a master printer.

Drew Wiley

15-Apr-2009, 15:20

Trivia time. Several of you mentioned Adams' famous "Mt Williamson" shot, taken from
Manzanar. This, however, is not Mt Williamson at all, but a spur on a ridge of a peak
fully two-thousand feet lower than Williamson, and seven miles to the south of it!
Bruce Barnbaum was furious when I pointed this out to him, as if I were a photographic heretic for interpreting geography literally. The real Mt Willamson is only partially visible from Manzanar, and is a MUCH bigger peak. Adam's had a reputation for getting his peaks mixed up. The famous one in his picture does not even have a name yet, although it is near Mt Alice. ... Now for the question at hand, my own
favorite AA has never been published. It was a different "Clearing Storm" shot taken
from the same parking lot entering Yosemite, but taken in his 60's and much darker in
mood. At the time he was a the height of his technical skill in the darkroom. I saw a
20x24 framed print, printed on Galerie, with the usual crisp graininess of HC-110. I wish
someone would publish it, though it just wouldn't have the same effect in smaller scale.

Bruce Pollock

15-Apr-2009, 17:41

For me it's a toss-up between Moonrise and Clearing Winter Storm. Moonrise because of the image and the story behind it's capture. Few people could have done what he did. Storm because the image always makes me think I've just stepped off a spaceship onto another planet.

Having said all that, at this point in my 30+ years of development as a photographer, I find myself trying to overcome the tyranny of the Weston/Adams stranglehold on my early years. They caused me to think that the only good photograph was a straight up f64 black and white image printed on glossy paper, preferably of an iconic subject. I no longer think that way and am trying hard to go in the opposite direction wherever possible.

Eric_Scott

17-Apr-2009, 20:53

Ridge, Sierra Nevada, C. 1925. I can't explain why. All I know is that I can't stop staring at it.

HBDesert

18-Apr-2009, 09:56

It's not one that most folks think about when AA comes to mind, but it's my favorite.

http://www.anseladams.com/ProductImages/mps/1501235.jpg

Steve M Hostetter

18-Apr-2009, 10:39

It's not one that most folks think about when AA comes to mind, but it's my favorite.

http://www.anseladams.com/ProductImages/mps/1501235.jpg

thank you for this example,, to say, "I really don't care for Ansel Adams" is (to me) kind of like saying that you don't care for a very diverse style..

I too am very fond of this portrait

Jim Cole

18-Apr-2009, 10:39

It's not one that most folks think about when AA comes to mind, but it's my favorite.

http://www.anseladams.com/ProductImages/mps/1501235.jpg

You know, I have to agree that it is my favorite image as well. I love the "aw shucks" expression on the cowboy and the flirtatious expression on Georgia O'Keefe. The sky, the camera angle, the hats, the lighting... it is just wonderful. And it's a grab shot as well.

Jim

Bill_1856

18-Apr-2009, 11:49

You know, I have to agree that it is my favorite image as well. I love the "aw shucks" expression on the cowboy and the flirtatious expression on Georgia O'Keefe. The sky, the camera angle, the hats, the lighting... it is just wonderful. And it's a grab shot as well.

Jim

That picture was shot with a 35mm Contax, and St. Ansel writes that the wet roll of negatives slipped out of his hands and landed on the darkroom floor, where he stepped on only that one particular image while he was groping for it in the dark. Sound familiar?

HBDesert

18-Apr-2009, 12:59

That picture was shot with a 35mm Contax, and St. Ansel writes that the wet roll of negatives slipped out of his hands and landed on the darkroom floor, where he stepped on only that one particular image while he was groping for it in the dark. Sound familiar?

Maybe I should try stepping on more of my negs!:D

CP Goerz

18-Apr-2009, 13:01

gary892-The spot is just at the northern end of the town, you can gauge the exact spot by the whitewashed stones used to make the 'LP' on the hills. Its very easy to get to and although the trees are a little taller its one of the few AA shots you can(with the right clouds ;-) reproduce. Most Yosemite shots are impossible due to rampant and unchecked tree growth ;-)

As to fave Ansel shots hmmm, so many but here is my short list...

Marion Lake, Kings Canyon Nat Forest 1925-such an inspirational picture to get you hiking.

High Country Crags and Moon, Sunrise, Kings Canyon. 1935-An abstract landscape, a bit unusual for him I always thought.

Mount Clarence King, Pool, Kings Canyon Nat Park, 1925-A classic landscape shot, no spin or emphasis on anything, just the landscape itself.

Stump and clouds, near Young Lakes, Yosemite National Park. 1945-He really nailed the quality of light, shooting this high up is always so deceiving contrast-wise, shadows don't appear all that dark ...till you develop the film and see lots of clear sections that make you wonder... 'what was I thinking!'.

Gary L. Quay

18-Apr-2009, 22:42

"Clearing Winter Storm."

I hadn't been taking photography seriously for very long, maybe a year, when I saw a poster of this image. A couple things blew me away: 1) clarity. I was amazed by the detail. It was the beginning of my decision to move to larger formats. 2) contrast. There's nothing muddy or wishy washy about this image. It has real impact. The whites are pure and the blacks are... well... black. I began looking into the Zone System based on what I saw in it.

--Gary

Steve M Hostetter

20-Apr-2009, 06:54

Mount McKinnley and lake 8x10" chrome

Heroique

20-Apr-2009, 16:22

A favorite “in-doors” shot by Ansel. Quite a lovely composition. And the difficult lighting adds a magisterial quality to this otherwise prosaic library scene.

It’s the University of Rochester – you can see it in chapter 7 of “The Negative.”

I presume it’s a scene from the 1950’s – perhaps I’m a few years off.

Now take a closer look …

Perhaps even the “Saints” among us are blind to contemporary cultural assumptions. Especially gender assumptions. At least three come to mind. Or maybe I’m just imagining things. (Ansel’s photos are rich enough for that, too.) So I’ll refrain from naming them. Don’t want to spoil the fun before asking you what you think. ;)