New Ansel Adams book and app: "Looking at Ansel Adams"

[CP Goerz]

You miss my point, the 'life' of Ansel Adams isn't just about F stops and light fading off the crosses etc. We know those stories backwards and in assorted versions told/retold over the years(with Ansel adding to the various renditions as well). Any other artist with similar stature in any other field we have the privilege to have a 'complete' picture of the person warts and all. With Ansel however its been a whitewashed Disney-esque environmentally and politically correct idol that has been placed before us. And around the campfire we go with one more re-telling of all the old familiar tales for a mere $XX.


I use the 'affair' as a point to illustrate how something that was enough to throw an otherwise 'hale and hearty' guy in a hospital room for a couple of weeks. What passions and thoughts ran through his head? What of Virginia? What of Patsy? He has said that the best work he ever produced was in that time....do you think that just maybe there was a little more going on than him getting it on with another woman besides his wife? Why did HE think his best work was then? Is it of interest to you that a guy who have made countless thousands of images feels that his best work came from a period of immense inner turmoil/love/betrayal/passion/affection etc? If you just want to look at the images then there are countless books around to satisfy that need, maybe I'm a little tired of seeing/reading the same old stuff and finally need a little more about Ansel as a real human being.

[Ed Bray]

Bad news for me, I've just received an email from Amazon UK stating that the book is now on back order and they have no current delivery date. But gutted as I was expecting it this week.

[Ed Bray]

Happy Days, my copy arrived in the post a short while ago, I am very pleased with the quality of the Images and am enjoying the text read so far (already at page 36). Seems to me like a bargain at the price I paid. I have paid a lot more for less interesting and lower quality works in the past.

[Brian Ellis]

You miss my point, the 'life' of Ansel Adams isn't just about F stops and light fading off the crosses etc. We know those stories backwards and in assorted versions told/retold over the years(with Ansel adding to the various renditions as well). Any other artist with similar stature in any other field we have the privilege to have a 'complete' picture of the person warts and all. With Ansel however its been a whitewashed Disney-esque environmentally and politically correct idol that has been placed before us. And around the campfire we go with one more re-telling of all the old familiar tales for a mere $XX.


I use the 'affair' as a point to illustrate how something that was enough to throw an otherwise 'hale and hearty' guy in a hospital room for a couple of weeks. What passions and thoughts ran through his head? What of Virginia? What of Patsy? He has said that the best work he ever produced was in that time....do you think that just maybe there was a little more going on than him getting it on with another woman besides his wife? Why did HE think his best work was then? Is it of interest to you that a guy who have made countless thousands of images feels that his best work came from a period of immense inner turmoil/love/betrayal/passion/affection etc? If you just want to look at the images then there are countless books around to satisfy that need, maybe I'm a little tired of seeing/reading the same old stuff and finally need a little more about Ansel as a real human being.

I understood your point and since you chose the "affair" as the basis for making it I responded in kind.

I don't know how deeply you think any writer should delve into Adams' psyche. But there's a lot of information out there about Adams as a human being. If one did nothing but read Mary Alinder's book I think he or she would have a pretty good idea of Adams' character/personality (and of the "affair" since she devotes about 4-5 pages specifically to it) and there's certainly more available than that one (somewhat controversial) biography.

[CP Goerz]

I've read a lot of Ansel stuff, how he glossed over it in his autobiography and removed every letter from her in 'Letters' etc. I'm not aware of any other references to that incident and come to think of it I can't recall any doting father stories of his kids either. I guess we'll only have to speculate as to Ansel's inner feelings about any number of things.

[Robert Brummitt]

I received my copy of the book. I have read the Edward Weston chapter and it was fine. It's a nice book. I still think it would have be neat if the book came in an e-reader with more of the before and after of AA photographs. That's pretty cool showing the evolution of his work. Gets you a better understanding of how he worked. Almost better then reading his techniques books.
I have heard of Ansel's affair and I do think important to include but I also think his family have feelings about all this too. We should respect them as well.
Hey, I didn't know that Ansel almost moved to the Southwest instead of Carmel. Would have that changed how some think the Monterey and Carmel as the "Mekka" of photography?
That's a little gem for me.

[Robert Brummitt]

Hhhheeeeyyyy, I think we got dis!
By Alfre Stieglist no less.
Page 68 Ansel has written his how to photography book and this is what Alfred has to say.
"I must let you know what a great pleasure your book has given me. It's so Straight and Intelligent and heaven knows the world of photography isn't any too intelligent---nor Straight, either"
What?!!

[ROL]

"I must let you know what a great pleasure your book has given me. It's so Straight and Intelligent and heaven knows the world of photography isn't any too intelligent---nor Straight, either"
What?!!

. (It's humor)

What "What?!!"? I don't think he meant it in the sense that we have generally come to use "straight" these days. Prolly more like crooked, not on the up and up, less than integral. As for the intelligence part, I don't think much has changed in either pronouncement in a century of "evolution" (see any "gallery", "career", or "Peter Lik" thread: – or anything I've posted for that matter )