Saturday, April 9, 2011

Essay:

Assignment/Essay:
Pictures from the Yosemite Collection by Ansel Adams.
Ansel Adams




Biography:




Photographer, conservationist; born in San Francisco. A commercial photographer for 30 years, he made visionary photos of western landscapes that were inspired by a boyhood trip to Yosemite. He won three Guggenheim grants to photograph the national parks (1944--58). Founding the f/64 group with Edward Weston in 1932, he developed zone exposure to get maximum tonal range from black-and-white film. He served on the Sierra Club Board . Dies in 1984 of a heart faliure.





Vernal Falls in the Yosemite Park/ by Ansel Adams.




I think Ansel Adams is a great photographer because in mi opinion he had the eye, the patience and the vision of turning something common into something spectacular and beautiful, without any extras.


In Greek Photography is translated as "Painting with light"  term he has mastered in a way almost non did before him .He also has  used the resources of his time and the black and white tecnique to a  higher level.
In his photography, we can observe very clear composition and careful exposition. Nothing disturbs the image, the emotion, be it calm, soothing peace or magnificent, somewhat dramatic moment, is always faithfully communicated. I really admire the light, the exposition, carefully thought through to deliver effectively the contrast between objects and to show the sharp deepness of the perspective. For some pictures, Adams waited for hours, others he claims to have spotted almost randomly.
*Laurells Falls by Ansel Adams.


As seen on our course he has  a very assertive way of taking nature, and landscape in an artistic way, but also he takes raw material, no changes made Nature in a very truthful way in an untouched and  virgin sense, and thats why i think he is a true photographer. Ansel Adams is a master of light.. His intention was “to present – through the medium of photography – intuitive observations of the natural world which may have meaning to the spectators.” But there is no doubt that, as nature itself, his photography keeps stunning us. 






His photography has gained through time a huge number of followers and his technique and style is used and imitated by many i selected some pictures that have some of the effects that Ansel Adams achieved, some of this pictures are of great quality and i think represent very well what he used to do on his pictures. For example this two pictures are from an Homage to            Ancel Adams made by a photographer called Greg Matchick, a St. Louis based and resident artist at Gateway Gallery. 
above: Broken Fence
Below: White woods
Both pictures by Greg Matchnick.
































I also chose another examples witch are not destined to be taken after the Ansel adams style completly but that  have a very similar way of showing either a landscape or a close-up of a fragment of nature.
Wilkins Pond taken by a Flickr user called Patty Maxshaxlong


In this example i chose a color picture because even if Ansel Adams did take some pictures in colour most of his work was in black and white. But here is one example in colour of what a picture in Ansel Adams style would be in my opnion.
ansel-adams-jeffrey-pine-sentinel-dome in colour
The picture above was originally taken in black and white.






 In the next two picture you don't see the typical landscape but a close-up of two completely different things but the intention, the beauty of the contrast, the perfection of the textures mixed with light i think is in both achieved.

Dogwood Blossoms, from Portfolio Three: Yosemite Valley by Ansel Adams


Pear, Ansel Adams Style  Taken from a Flickr user called Patty Mazshaxlong









As a conclusion i believe that true Photographers and true Photography will remain even with time and even with technological advances, because the beauty of nature and the way people find a simple tree, or a simple landscape can be magnificent. Ansel Adams photography is now a staple of vision, of creating an endless perspective in the horizon line and in giving the proper framing, light, position and time to make bring nature to a persons eye in its true greatest form.
 








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