The title of today's lecture was "Case Study: How to fit a mountain into a photograph" and focussed on he work of American photographer Ansel Adams (1902 - 1984).
Adams was probably dyslexic, didn't do very well at school but taught himself to play the piano, and subsequently photography after being given a Box Brownie camera as a present when he was a teenager. He specialised in carefully planned shots of wild spaces, famously Yosemite National Park, California. His wife's daily kept a studio in the park, which Adams eventually took over. He belonged to the f64 Group of photographers who developed the concept of transcendentalism. Adams himself was convinced of the importance of visualisation, i.e. of having a mental picture of the image he wished to create in his photographs, so he adjusted light, exposure, etc, to produce a pre-planned image, sometimes enhancing the reality of the natural world by clever planning, angles, timing, etc. Adams wrote, in 1948 that
"The term visualisation refers to the entire emotional -mental process of creating a photograph, and as such, it is one of the most important concepts in photography. It includes the ability to anticipate a finished image before making the exposure, so that the procedures employed will contribute to achieving the desired result. This much of the create process can be practices and learned beyond lies the domain of personal vision and insight, the creative 'eye' of the individual, which cannot be taught, only recognised and encouraged."
(Adams, Ansel, The Camera (first published 1948, most recent edition 1995), London: Little, Brown and Co., p.14)
We looked at several of Ansel Adams most celebrated photographs, including these:
Orchard, Early Spring
Winter Sunrise from Lone Pine
Adams work is still stunning in it range and the lowering power of the carefully positioned camera shots. he would wait ages for the sky, light, etc to be just right, and his photos are iconic, and set the standard for many other landscape photographs later on.
I like his work: his photos have great dramatic impact and convey a sense of awe and wonder at the huge natural landscapes of America.
Adams was probably dyslexic, didn't do very well at school but taught himself to play the piano, and subsequently photography after being given a Box Brownie camera as a present when he was a teenager. He specialised in carefully planned shots of wild spaces, famously Yosemite National Park, California. His wife's daily kept a studio in the park, which Adams eventually took over. He belonged to the f64 Group of photographers who developed the concept of transcendentalism. Adams himself was convinced of the importance of visualisation, i.e. of having a mental picture of the image he wished to create in his photographs, so he adjusted light, exposure, etc, to produce a pre-planned image, sometimes enhancing the reality of the natural world by clever planning, angles, timing, etc. Adams wrote, in 1948 that
"The term visualisation refers to the entire emotional -mental process of creating a photograph, and as such, it is one of the most important concepts in photography. It includes the ability to anticipate a finished image before making the exposure, so that the procedures employed will contribute to achieving the desired result. This much of the create process can be practices and learned beyond lies the domain of personal vision and insight, the creative 'eye' of the individual, which cannot be taught, only recognised and encouraged."
(Adams, Ansel, The Camera (first published 1948, most recent edition 1995), London: Little, Brown and Co., p.14)
We looked at several of Ansel Adams most celebrated photographs, including these:
Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone National Par
Orchard, Early Spring
Winter Sunrise from Lone Pine
Nevada Fall, Rainbow
Moon and Half Dome, Yosemite Valley, California
Ansel Adams, photographing in Yosemite National Park from atop his car in about 1942.
Adams work is still stunning in it range and the lowering power of the carefully positioned camera shots. he would wait ages for the sky, light, etc to be just right, and his photos are iconic, and set the standard for many other landscape photographs later on.
I like his work: his photos have great dramatic impact and convey a sense of awe and wonder at the huge natural landscapes of America.
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