Famous Photographer Ansel Adams - Research Paper Example

Your Ansel Adams: All - American Photographer Ansel Adams is probably America’s favorite photographer. One may not realize it, but his works are quite famous and pretty sure you have seen it, and have appreciated it. He is America’s leading landscape photographer and you have probably seen his photographs in a calendar. Ansel Adams was born on February 20, 1902 to Charles and Olive Adams in San Francisco, California. He was musically trained, as he studied to become a classical pianist but he would later abandon music for photography, the field on which he will garner fame and respect. He started school in 1908 but he was a poor student. He started to hate going to school. In 1915, his father took him out from school and had him home-schooled. During that time, Charles bought his son a pass to the Panama Pacific International Exposition. This Exposition had exhibits on science, arts, machinery and photography. That was the first time young Ansel encountered photography as a form of art. There were three prints exhibited by the great photographer Edward Weston – whom he would collaborate much later in a group project and will become a great friend. His unconventional education opened the doors for young Ansel: He became interested in piano and began to teach himself how to play. He was a serious student of music, and recognizing this, his father hired a piano tutor for Ansel. Her name was Marie Butler and she tutored Ansel for three years. At this point, Ansel was seriously considering becoming a concert pianist. In 1916, Ansel’s family took a trip to Yosemite and on this trip, his father gave him a camera. This trip made him interested in photography as a result. “With his camera, a Kodak Box Brownie, Ansel’s life as a photographer began – an interest which was to endure for the rest of his life. With his first attempts at committing the magic of Yosemite to film, he demonstrated the beginnings of an immense talent which was to make him a world-class photographer” (1). Ansel was then persuaded to attend school again and he did. He went to Mrs. Kate Wilkins’ private school. He graduated from eighth grade in 1917 at Mrs. Wilkins’ school. His graduation marked the end of his academic career. He continued to pursue piano and music, as well as his new passion – photography – after graduation. Like the way he taught himself piano, he began teaching himself the basic principles of photography. Then he got a job working part-time for a photo finisher in San Francisco, Fred Dittman. This is where Ansel had his first darkroom experience. Will Dassonville, a neighbor, was a technician and manufacturer of photographic papers. “It was Will Dassonville who was Ansel’s true inspiration and who brought his attention the true extent to which photography could be developed into an art form.” (2) This picture is called The Tetons – Snake River. This iconic picture is taken at the Yosemite Park and is probably one of the most famous photographs that inspired environmentalism in America. Many photographers agree that Ansel Adams made a huge impact in photography that you can actually denote the history of photography into before Ansel Adams and after Ansel Adams. It has been said that before Ansel Adams, photography is not taken seriously, and was not considered an art form. The photographers then used extreme manipulations on their photographs to make them resemble paintings. However, Ansel came to the scene declaring “photography is poetry of the real” and eschewed manipulations. He practiced the value of “pure photography” using only light, shutter speed and other simple manipulations of the camera. Ansel clung to the large format camera even if the point and shoot ones were readily available. Because of his beautiful pictures of nature, Ansel changed how photography was seen (it is now art) and has influenced America about how to take care of their environment. Because of him, King’s Canyon in California was declared a National Park. His photographs have the qualities of a realistic painting. The balance of the subject’s composition is there, the pay of light and shadow is evident. It is useful to note that Ansel regularly used black and white film instead of colored films to reduce clutter. In this photograph, the river is the major subject and contrasts directly with the dark objects on the background. The mountain also adds to the composition as an object in the background. Ansel continued his interest in photography and piano over the years. He also became very interested in nature and the environment. In 1919 he became a Custodian for the Sierra Club. He was passionate about the environment and thus became a lifetime member of the Sierra Club. Sierra Clun is America’s oldest environmental organization. This is their mission statement: "The Sierra Club's members are more than 750,000 of your friends and neighbors. Inspired by nature, we work together to protect our communities and the planet. The Club is America's oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. Our Mission Statement: 1. Explore, enjoy and protect the wild places of the earth. 2. Practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources. 3. Educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment. 4. Use all lawful means to carry out these objectives". (3) He then had a job in Best’s Studio where he met his wife, Virginia Best, in 1921. He was still considered a pianist then and Virginia was a classical singing student. Best’s Studio was a gift shop in Yosemite and it sold a lot of stuff from books, carvings, paintings and photographs among others. Harry Best, who was Virginia’s father, owned the shop. There was a piano in the shop and Ansel was allowed to practice. Virgini and Ansel shared many common interests such as nature and classical music. They got engaged and married in January 2, 1928. His love of nature grew in Yosemite. He led a lot of expeditions for the Sierra Club and also went on many excursions by himself. He took a lot of pictures of the area and began writing about his explorations for the Sierra Club Bulletin where he also published his pictures. There, he met Frank Holman. He was a fellow Sierra Club member and he influenced Ansel his love of the place and its inhabitants. In Sierra Club, Ansel became an expedition leader for group outings organized by the club. During these trips, he would find himself with college professors who would answer his questions and sate his curiosity. During this time, he began to experiment with different types of photography. He developed his own style and artistic skills. Ansel began to experiment more with different types of photography at this time. "He developed a way of producing images resembling charcoal drawings. These images were popular among pictoral photographers of the time, and were achieved by using soft focus negatives and bromide prints". (4) But he became bored soon enough and he began to focus on sharper and clearer images. He was later known for the clarity of his work. He also experimented on different light levels, filters and lenses to get his photos right – meaning his photos should capture the vision in his mind. It was said that he would wait for hours just to have the right amount of sunlight needed for the perfect photograph. This has resulted to many beautiful photographs of Yosemite including the Monolith, the Face of the Half Dome. During this time, Ansel’s images were gaining acceptance as art pieces, not just photographs. The pieces he made during 1930s where experimental in nature – he first developed his pictures hand printed in the dark room on book paper with photographic emulsion. His standards were so high then that he refused to have it published. Then again the publisher had it published with the promise of having fine pictures. After that, he became a founded Group f64 – a group composed of photographers with the interests as him mainly the environment. He wrote the manifesto of the group itself: ‘The name of this Group is derived from a diaphragm number of the photographic lens. It signifies to a large extent the qualities of clearness and definition of the photographic image which is an important element in the work of members of this Group. The chief object of the Group is to present in frequent shows what it considers the best contemporary photography of the West; in addition to the showing of the work of its members, it will include prints from other photographers who evidence tendencies in their work similar to that of the Group. Group f/64 is not pretending to cover the entire spectrum of photography or to indicate through its selection of members any deprecating opinion of the photographers who are not included in its shows. There are great number of serious workers in photography whose style and technique does not relate to the metier of the Group. Group f/64 limits its members and invitational names to those workers who are striving to define photography as an art form by simple and direct presentation through purely photographic methods. The Group will show no work at any time that does not conform to its standards of pure photography. Pure photography is defined as possessing no qualities of technique, composition or idea, derivative of any other art form. The production of the “Pictorialist,” on the other hand, indicates a devotion to principles of art which are directly related to painting and the graphic arts. The members of Group f/64 believe that photography, as an art form, must develop along lines defined by the actualities and limitations of the photographic medium, and must always remain independent of ideological conventions of art and aesthetics that are reminiscent of a period and culture antedating the growth of the medium itself. This group was responsible for having a photography department in Museum of Modern Art. The group was loosely formed until 1935 when they dissolved. Their influence on modern photography continued though. This is because of the concepts that the group eschewed way before they disbanded. Many people think that Ansel’s works were just representational and some art critics think that his work is too commercial. However, he knows what he is doing and can separate art from commercial exploits. Because of the influence of Group f64 and exhibitions, people appreciated the styles more and started buying the notion that photography is art – which it is. He also discovered that he can alter a photograph with different printing techniques and then became a member of the Roxeburghe Club. This was a meeting place for printers in San Francisco that time. He learned many printing techniques in the club and became a meticulous printer. This will become evident in his future books. Ansel continued to develop more techniques. He developed the Zone System which has become the standard for photographers. The Zone System was "introduced in 1941, being a simple way of explaining sensitometry, a device for measuring photographic equipment's sensitivity to light. His method was to divide the tonal range into ten steps, starting with zone 0 for total black and zone 9 for pure white. This innovative idea allowed the photographer to gauge the contrast and tonal quality by developing the film to these specifications to achieve optimum results in the final print". (5) His painting style changed over the years, from the softer tones of the early years of his work to the darker, more contrast-y style of printing photographs. His had a lot of success with his photographs during the 1970s. That was the peak of his career. He has had a lot of orders so that by 1979, he stopped taking orders. The lucrative business means that Ansel could make donations to Museum of Modern Art among others. He was at the height of his career that during 1980, President Carter awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is America’s highest award for civilians. The citation reads: “At one with the power of the American landscape, and renowned for the patient skill and timeless beauty of his work, photographer Ansel Adams has been a visionary in his efforts to preserve this country’s wild and scenic areas, both on film and on Earth. Drawn to the beauty of nature’s monuments, he is regarded by environmentalists as a monument himself, and by photographers as a national institution. It is through his foresight and fortitude that so much of America has been saved for future Americans.” Ansel used this newfound status to fight for his interests namely the environment and environmental protection, making strong views about the subject, even making the headlines for a newspaper. This makes him an icon in the American pop culture making it possible for him to sway millions of people to understanding environmentalism. This also provided him enough leverage to lobby for certain political issues on the environment. He did not stop at that. Even in his later years, he kept himself busy. He wrote his autobiography when he was in his 80s and even bought a computer to aid himself. Until his death, Ansel focused on photography and printing. His landscape pictures are still used in books, calendars and museums everywhere. He is considered to be one of the most influential, beloved and talented photographers. The photograph shown about is the Tetons River. That photograph is quite iconic, and it has propagated a lot of nature conservation projects because of its sheer beauty. The iconic advantage of the picture is that it represents reality so well, that it is actually an art form. What makes it an art form based on composition? Let’s take a look at light. Photography, after all is about light – the measure of light on the subject so that it represents the vision of the artist when it is developed. The light in that photograph is perfect, it is captured in a moment when the light and shadow casts the most intense effect. In painting, it is called chiaroscuro. The principle is the same – the play of light and shadow – but photographs are not manually made like painting. They capture a specific moment in time and that moment cannot be reproduced. It is unique. Of course there are techniques to hone the craft such as changing different levels of chemicals or changing celluloids and chromes, in the developing process. There is also etching, doing the daguerreotype or changing lenses, shutter speeds and apertures but nothing can change the subject, the angle and the play of light and shadow. There are also techniques that the photographer can employ to make the photograph more interesting. Rule of thirds is there, vantage point, etc. But Ansel made the theory of The Zone. As explained above, it is the appreciation of natural light. Photography is truly a modern art form as it combines technology with humanity. It is both a product of man’s hands and mind, but all at the same time, like all forms of art, evokes emotion. This picture, however we think is simple is a product of clicks of the shutter, tells a story of a man patiently waiting for the right time, the earth and its purest beauty, unrelenting with time, the light which gives life, and craft for which we appreciate our fellow men. Notes: 1. Ansel Adams by Basil Cannon page 16 2. Ansel Adams by Basil Cannon page 18 3. www.sierraclub.org/inside/ 4. Ansel Adams by Basil Cannon page 23 References: Ansel Adams by Basil Cannon http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/ansel/index.html http://sierraclub.org/inside/ Ansel Adams in Color edited by Harry M. Callahan Ansel Adams, America's Saint George of Conservation by Peter Barr: http://www.hctc.commnet.edu/artmuseum/anseladams/barressay.html Read More