Ansel Adams preserved his negatives so that they could be printed by others. Brett Weston famously burned his so that no one else could print them. I think it is difficult to say which was the more "egotistical" act (if either was).
Ansel Adams preserved his negatives so that they could be printed by others. Brett Weston famously burned his so that no one else could print them. I think it is difficult to say which was the more "egotistical" act (if either was).
i want to thank you all for your thoughtful responses. i am gratified to hear the stories of adams congenial attitude in his personal dealings with students. this thread has been quite informative, and i appreciate your input.
I invite all to read Ansel Adams: A Biography by Mary Street Alinder. Far better than AA's autobiography, it is careful to reveal Adam's the man (as MSA knew him, which was rather well) and also retain her respect for Adam's accomplishment. Adam's was a man of his time, which is not ours.
My opinion is that his lasting value to the world will be as someone who fought tirelessly for preservation of wilderness (although not the way others might have, at least he helped get the ball rolling in the populace at large by expanding our consciousness of it; as someone who also fought for the recognition of photography as a modern art form through the championing of his own work and others; and for his teaching and mentoring skills as a photographer. And then way back there on the list as a photographer in his own right.<P Some people idolize him, In his time AA was not immune to such flattery but my understanding his that he was also capable and a willing participant in lampooning his own image. And he certainly hadan innate willingness to suck up to the powerful and famous. But then, can't the last can be said of virtually every artist? After all that is where the money is.
Someone pointed out that when you go to the Adams gallery in Yosemite you can buy an original Adams for $150 vs. $600+ for a John Sexton. Beaware that these are not "original" prints made by Adams, but are printed from his negatives by someone appointed by the Adams Trust. This has been so since at least the 1970s if not the mid 1960s. And the prints are marked as such.
You can reject Adams' work on aesthetic grounds if you so desire. Many competent photographers will disagree with you and may ask you to produce work that rivals the work you disparaging.
Unless you meet a person and interact with them, it borders on foolishness to make public pronouncements regarding their personality. I have never met Ansel face to face [or face to ghost as in the case of Mr. Wimberley]. But I did correspond with him shortly before his death. I was about 17 and I actually sent him a letter, accompanied by several photographs, wherein I requested to become his apprentice. IMHO, an egotistical person would have had a good laugh and tossed the package into the bin. That is not what Ansel did.
Ansel sent me a signed reproduction of one of his most famous photographs and a letter. He did not address my request directly. I think that was done out of kindness. He said that he liked my work and that the photographs that I had sent to him would be included in his archives. He encouraged me to continue to hone my skills.
His prolific photographic work serves as a goal for many. He did not hide what he learned; but rather shared it with us so that some might even excel his technical knowledge. That can not be said of many of the other great photographers.
Am I an Adams Nut? I dont know exactly what that means. I can say that in my library his books come right after the Bible.
One of the best things about AA was that he was a good teacher to the masses of younger photographers. He was a superb writer and could explain the magic of photography in an easily understood manner. He could not only teach, he could do. He has kept countless thousands of aspiring photographers, me included, from having to re-invent the wheel. Incidentally, if you ever see an exhibit of his work, it will be quite difficult to slam dunk him. There is quite a difference between the printed page and an Adams' print.
About 25 years ago, I had the opportunity to see an exhibition of Adam's work. I was completely bowled over. I was 15 at the time and just beginning to develop and print 35mm. I remember clearly the extrordinary impact those images had; they are a guiding light 25 years later. Reproductions certainly do not do them justice - to stand inches from a huge image and to be drawn into each tiny detail - is something you only get whenyou see them in the flesh.
Many fantastic answers-what a great resource. I am not an Adams expert, but would suggest a few directions: (1) Adams and others helped establish B&W photography as a TRANSLATION of reality-no photograph of his looks as the scene appears to our eyes; at least not mine. In this respect, we are looking at art-not documentary or record photography. (2) In many of the "nature" photographs, there is an ethos at work, something about the grandeur of nature and man's perhaps less significant status in it than many of use assume. These aren't blind scenery shots (like I take!). (3) Look at more than the "greatest works" photographs-see pictures of flowers, buildings, even PEOPLE. As many have pointed about, I think one of the greatest lessons here is to keep working and taking pictures. We have to admire anyone who maintains a lifelong passion for their craft and the desire to teach. The best teachers; the only teachers, of course, are interested in bringing out what is in you, the student, and not themselves. There are few and far between, but I have been privileged to know some in my lifetime. The
I met him also in a workshop. His books may impart an impression of elitism but nothing could be farther from the truth. I've known photographers with little skill or artistry who are none-the-less very covetous of their sites, their practices, their techniques, and even their equipment choices and exposure methodology. Yet Adams would share ANYTHING with anybody and not hold back anything. He was generous to a fault, especially later on (he had a short period during which he believed in destoying his negatives). I think reading anything but generosity into his writings is mis-reading, though I can see where it comes from. Maybe he didn't express himself as well in text as he did in photos. By the way, I had an instructor who believed that it has ALL been done already, or at least will have soon, and that we are all rehashing the photographic visions of those who came before us. Kind of lumps us all together as imitative hacks. I prefer to think that we all build on and improve on what has come before and some of us actually find a little insight along the way.
One occasionally hears disparaging remarks about Western Landscape photographers following "St. Ansel's tripod holes".
It is delightful, then, to see that Ansel Adams himself excitedly followed O'Sullivan's tripod holes, as Micah's example of his letter to the National Parks service shows :-)
That little detail really humanizes the man, and to me, makes him the greater for it.
When I was 14 or so my Father and I were heading into the High Sierras on a backpack trip. As we crossed over the Kings River Bridge we passed a little gnome of a fellow carrying a rather large view camera. With just a couple of BHowdiesB we continued on our way. At that time I told My Father that some day I would like a camera like that. We had no idea that we had passed Mr. Adams. Well as I became more photo astute I realized who it was we had seen that day. A little man with a big camera, who has set the bar for photographers all over the world. One can pick apart what ever they want in an effort to make them selves feel better or more important, for we all need to boost are egos at times to keep the immensity of the great void from swallowing us up, but what photographer who has looked at Mr. Adams work has not been influenced by it to some degree. He may not be the BGreatest everB but he is one of them. To this day, it is his books in my book case, not gathering dust but dog eared. For the truly great ones are those that teach. As far as copying others works, my best pictures are those that emulate Mr. Adams style, and if I can ever find that same spot out at ManzanarBB What we need are more photos and less ridicule. By the way I did not buy a view camera until I was 44 so I have a lot of photos to go on my way to my own BGreatnessB.
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