Hi all!

[aha]

Hello, my name is Abi, I have been looking around for a good place to talk photography with photographers and all the other forums I tried didn't really talk about photography much, but this looked promising so I thought I would give it a try! I am a senior in highschool and I am doing a project on Ansel Adams and so if you would like to answer my poll that would be great!


Thanks, Abi

 

[oriecat]

Welcome to the forums, Abi. Where do we find this poll of yours?

 

[aha]

Sorry about the post I messed that up, but I was just wondering if Ansel Adams has inspired you or the way you take pictures in any way, and if so how? Thanks for the welcome!

 

[voodoocat]

Welcome Abi. I'm glad you found us. We definately talk photography here.. but we have fun too.

To answer your question. Yes.
I always have AA's system on my mind when I'm shooting, developing and printing. His prints also inspire me.

 

[photong]

Welcome. You'll like us ;D

 

[Shubin]

Welcome in. Thanks for finding this place.

 

[ksmattfish]

Howdy. Welcome to thephotoforum.

I shoot mostly medium and large format BW, and I get a lot of influence from Ansel Adams. I've read and re-read "The Camera", "The Negative", and "The Print" several times. I picked up his "The Making of Forty Photographs" about three months ago; I highly recommend it to everyone. I really like to be able to get some understanding of what was going on in his head as he made some of his photos. I also just finished his autobiography, which was pretty good, too.

 

[TwistMyArm]

Hi Abi, welcome to the forum!

Ansel Adams really doesn't inspire me to take photographs. I just do it because I enjoy doing it and not because I feel any need to be more like anyone else. I do greatly enjoy his work though.

 

[craig]

I consider Mr Adams to be more of a scientist than a photographer. His thechnical mastery of the medium inspired everyone....But, anyone willing to spend days waiting for the light on the "Snake River" turn out with a very large format camera is going to get some dramatic results. The craft should become second nature. Before you release the shutter, ask yourself how am I going to make this Abi's photo revealing some thing about yourself. I don't think Ansel Adams ever revealed anything except for "expose for the shadows, develop for the highlights" :shock: [/img]

 

[aha]

Thanks everyone this is all really helping, and I feel very welcome here! I am looking forward to talking with all of you more. Once again thanks, Abi

 

[ksmattfish]

I don't think Ansel Adams ever revealed anything except for "expose for the shadows, develop for the highlights" :shock: [/img]

Ansel Adams was originally a professional musician and a naturalist. His initial forays into photography were snapshots of the natural areas he hiked in. He was dissatified with these snapshots; they didn't reveal the grandeur of the scene or the emotions he felt. This dissatisfaction is what led him into photography and his extensive technical know-how. I think that every one of Adam's photographs reveals a great deal about the photographer and his emotions about the subject matter. His whole concept of previsualisation relies on the photographer actively participating in the creation of an unique image rather than passively capturing the scene.

 

[craig]

I don't think Ansel Adams ever revealed anything except for "expose for the shadows, develop for the highlights" :shock: [/img]

His whole concept of previsualisation relies on the photographer actively participating in the creation of an unique image rather than passively capturing the scene.


Photographic dialogue is the stuff dreams are made of. I must say that I have for some reason or another, never taken an in depth look into Mr Adams' photography. I lean more toward Charles Scheeler (the painter) and Irving Penn. I definetly need to see examples of this so called active participation. Maybe the California Redwood series?

 

[mrsid99]

Welcome Abi!
There's something for everyone here so have fun!

 

[ksmattfish]

I definetly need to see examples of this so called active participation. Maybe the California Redwood series?

It isn't always as easy to see the creative process in a photographic print as it is in a sculpture or painting. We have a tendency to view photos as copies of reality; "seeing is believing" (although the digital revolution is altering our perceptions of photography as truth). Henri Carter-Bresson called photography "the artless art", and although we now know him mostly as a photographer, he always considered photography to be a tool for his painting.

I shoot a lot of BW landscape, but even so I was first attracted to Adam's writings because of the technical info rather than any amazement of his subject matter. But after reading about what went into each of his images (both thought processes and technique) I gained a lot more respect for his work. I think every kind of photographer should at least read the first chapter in each of his books "The Camera", "The Negative", and "The Print", and if you're into BW film photography you should definately read them all the way through. They are filled with examples of the making of his photos.

I was trying to find an Adam's quote (not that quotes prove anything, I just think they are useful info about how a person thinks), but I couldn't. It's somewhere in those books. It says something to the effect that if a photographer puts little or no effort into an image, then it's a snapshot. But if the photographer is willing to invest the thinking, energy, and time that a painter is willing to invest in a painting, then the photographer is creating something that can be as fine as a painting or sculpture.

 

[craig]

After all these years I can only consider myself a student of photography. The beauty of the medium (Like most) is that it can be taken on a lot of different levels. Sometimes in my infinite wisdom, I will shoot 20 frames of a subject that never looked as good as when I first randomly stumbled on it. I sort of kinda believe that few photos are perfect. The only thing that i do know for sure is TAKE A LOT OF PHOTOS.