I've no quarrel with those who don't like Adam's work. I think Ken's
summary is pretty good.
Just a few comments that may widen the discussion:
- Adams did something few have ever done with such care and patience. He
pre-visualized images months or years ahead of time. Many of his shots
of Yosemite and the High Sierra in general were pre-scouted. He'd hike
up into often difficult to reach places to see if he could get the angle
he wanted. He'd then think about the light and work out at what time of
day, year and in what weather the shot would work best.
Then he would haul the 8x10 and heavy tripod up to the spot for the
appointed day and time. If the weather didn't cooperate, he would try
again. This is something I suppose may be lost on those who don't know
the subjects personally. I have often stood looking at things he has
photographed in awe not only of his photographic technique, but of the
patience and effort he put into making an image of it that I can't approach.
- I think Ken is right about the light. In Adam's best images, it's not
just California light, but high Sierra light. John Muir called it "The
Range of Light". And I find that to be true. From just North of Yosemite
down the crest to Mt. Whitney, there is a quality to the landscape and
light that is, if not unique, quite unusual. I've not been up there for
years. I suppose the smog and haze from human activity in the Central
Valley that's so strongly affecting flora at lower elevations may be
starting to obscure the high country air as well. I hope not; the
clarity was astonishing.
And Adam's nailed it. the light IS cool, the granite IS light colored
and rugged, the air is thin, and every little detail stands out. Not HRD
like, as Ken suggests, at least not the misplaced tonalities of so much
HDR work - but certainly with lots of high contrast edges, LCE-ish, if
you like. That's what it looked like in person.
I've come down from the high country or from the Eastern scarp, walked
into the Adams gallery in Yosemite Valley and just been amazed at how
the prints there caught the "look and feel" of where I'd just been. If
you are from somewhere else, that's not going to be part of the viewing
experience. It seems to me that, on average, the farther the subjects
are from his core area, the weaker the images. But that may partly be
'cause they are also from areas I don't know as well.
There's many kinds of light in Calif., and I believe Adams wouldn't have
been much good at some of it. I don't see this coming from his cameras,
even though it's not far from some of his best subjects.
<http://www.moosemystic.net/Gallery/MPhotos/Calif/Sierras/Sfoothills3.htm>
- Adams was an odd, sometimes prickly character. People who take great
people pictures generally like and are comfortable around all kinds of
people. Taking him to task for weak people images is just silly, He did
few and they weren't his forte. I've seen original prints of a number of
images he took on a commercial assignment early in his career. They are
of a college, for promotional purposes. Perfectly good exposure,
printing, composition, and so on, but not sense of life in the many
student subjects.
I used to work next to the studio and darkroom of a locally highly
regarded portrait photographer. He occasionally put in his window
landscape and mountain prints. Technically just as perfect as his
portraits, but the portraits were alive and the landscapes weren't.
Bring me the mountain landscapes of Karsh and HC-B!
- Bill and some others have seen original prints and still aren't
impressed. Due to his popularity and saleability, there have been some
rather well done prints and even poster of Adams' work. They aren't the
same as the real thing.
- There is another quality that Adams' eye and technique and B&W tend to
miss. Take Bierstadt's Western landscapes, tone them down about 70% and
you've got a sort of light and color that does exist there and is
missing from Adam's images.
<http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Half-Dome-Yosemite-Valley-Posters_i114874_.htm>
Overall, I'd say Adam's images are more accurate representations of the
mountain look and feel. Bierstadt's are more emotionally accurate
portraits of the valley, mid year look and feel. I passed through the
valley one 4th of July many years ago, before controls on numbers and
fires. Summer sun through the smoke haze hovering in the valley was very
soft and warm colored. There were also some drunken semi-riots among the
partyers. Rules changed after that.
Moose
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