----- Original Message -----
From: <john@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: 30 June 2002 11:27
Subject: Re: [OM] ( OM ) Photographic manipulation & Ansel Adams
I agree with this. When you "savour" a scene (especially landscape of
which AA was the master) I'm sure there are psychological factors in
perception as well as physical (optical) ones. To begin with, the
eye's field of acute vision is quite narrow so that one scans the
whole scene to build up the whole. Even when looking at the central or
principal part of the scene, the eye's peripheral vision (although
extending at least 90 degrees either side) is almost secondary so that
the wide-angle print never looks the same as your original perception.
I only wish I could emulate the great prints of the undoubted master
of his craft. To this end I use medium format (Bronica ETRSi) a lot
with a wide angle (40mm) lens, but I can never recapture the "Adams
look" even with the much more advanced negative emulsions compared
with his days. Sigh!!
At least on my doorstep here in Wales, we have stunning mountain
scenery so I have no real excuse!
Regard
John Gruffydd (Mold, Wales, UK)
You make some interesting points here.
The human brain is very selective in what it chooses to allow us to see. You
take a picture of your children in the garden and all you will see on the
print is the children. You show it to someone else and they will see the
compost heap in the background, the crisp packet in the foreground, the
uncut grass etc. The camera will, unfortunately, see all of this because it
is a bit stupid and doesn't realise what you don't want it to photograph.
Adams was a real perfectionist. He would travel with over a ton of
equipment. 8x10 plates were the minimum size he used. Don't be too
disparaging of those early emulsions, on this format they were well up to
the job as the results he achieved show. What he did have was endless
patience, a real eye for detail and was not prepared to settle for second
best, whatever it took.
With roll film, whether 35mm or 120, it is probably too easy to be a little
slapdash. If you take a couple of hours or more setting the shot up, you
want to get it right, it is not as easy as winding on another frame and
hoping for the best.
Most B&W landscape pictures fail because a) there is no foreground detail to
offer perspective, b) there is no mechanism to lead the eye into the picture
and c) they are printed too light. Always print dark with a full tonal
range.
You are lucky to live in Wales for the photographic opportunities. I walked
up Snowdon a couple of weeks ago but the weather turned very bad and I was
unable to get any pictures at all.
Steve
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