Ansel Adams: A PBS documentary.

[SaltwaterServr]

[youtube]lyUkVqiHDOs[/youtube]

One of my favorite quotes from him, misquoted and paraphrased, has to deal with image manipulation.

"The camera takes a picture, the photographer develops the image."

One of his most well known images, outside of Half Dome With Moon, is "Moonrise Hernandez, New Mexico"

Click the image for a larger version.

If it were done today, I'm afraid we'd throw tomatoes at it for being over-processed in Photoshop or a bad HDR image. Even worse, we'd possibly lampoon the photographer for producing multiple versions of the image, each with different processing to dodge and burn elements as the photographer saw fit.

 

[kimrose]

Great pic. True artist in photography. There is something beautifully sad about the moon shining down on a cemetery that lies mere yards from majestic mountains.

It looks even better enlarged.

 

[SaltwaterServr]

Great pic. True artist in photography. There is something beautifully sad about the moon shining down on a cemetery that lies mere yards from majestic mountains.

It looks even better enlarged.

I had a poster sized version I bought from the McNay Art Museum here in San Antonio when they did an Ansel Adams showing. It was a ton of his photographs that he had given his eye doctor as gifts throughout the years. Some incredible work, but it was really odd to see so many of them in 5x7 format. The really outstanding ones were larger, but the few E sized were the images that made you stop and look for five minutes to take in all of the detail and lighting.

FWIW, Ansel was deathly afraid of going blind. Picassso, as I've read, was afraid of going broke. His financial advisor became one of his very good friends because he considered him as much of a critical element to his art, i.e. his state of mind being able to create while being unfettered with thoughts of economy, as his natural and cultivated talent.

 

[Longboysfan]

Great work by PBS.

 

[ethiostar]

That's an awesome picture!

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Great work by PBS.

American Experience is a phenomenal series, and on a variety of topics.

 

[notherbob]

I had a poster sized version I bought from the McNay Art Museum here in San Antonio when they did an Ansel Adams showing. It was a ton of his photographs that he had given his eye doctor as gifts throughout the years. Some incredible work, but it was really odd to see so many of them in 5x7 format. The really outstanding ones were larger, but the few E sized were the images that made you stop and look for five minutes to take in all of the detail and lighting.

FWIW, Ansel was deathly afraid of going blind. Picassso, as I've read, was afraid of going broke. His financial advisor became one of his very good friends because he considered him as much of a critical element to his art, i.e. his state of mind being able to create while being unfettered with thoughts of economy, as his natural and cultivated talent.

Wasn't it Picasso who paid for everything with checks because he knew no one would cash them as his signature was worth more than the check was for? Clever.

 

[Duane]

American Experience is a phenomenal series, and on a variety of topics.

Agreed. It's one of my favorite programs on TV.

 

[LeonDixson]

Wasn't it Picasso who paid for everything with checks because he knew no one would cash them as his signature was worth more than the check was for? Clever.

That is very clever! I had never heard that.

 

[juck]

Hes a legend. I do Band W also. http://public.fotki.com/juck

 

[SaltwaterServr]

Wasn't it Picasso who paid for everything with checks because he knew no one would cash them as his signature was worth more than the check was for? Clever.

I don't know, but if he did, smart guy!

There was another contemporary artist, I can't think of his name off the top of my head, who was an obsessive pack-rat. He kept everything he doodled on, notes for ideas, etc. Thing was, once his house filled up, he sold it and moved to one that was uncluttered. Once he became famous, one of his houses sold for something obscene before his agent or attorney started buying them for his estate.

 

[SaltwaterServr]

That's an awesome picture!

The screen does it no justice. A 24x36 or larger? Mesmerizing.