Comments on: Ansel Adams and the Polaroid http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/09/ansel-adams-and-the-polaroid/ How can we live without the unknown before us? —Rene Char Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:48:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Julie http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/09/ansel-adams-and-the-polaroid/#comment-5847 Julie Mon, 17 Sep 2007 14:08:08 +0000 http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/09/08/ansel-adams-and-the-polaroid/#comment-5847 Thanks for letting us know about this exhibit and your response to it. I'm a bit skeptical about Adams' view that he was a failure in color photography. As a performance artist with his camera, he may have felt less successful than he was because the public was too attached to his black-and-white images to applaud his color work. His color transparencies still exist, and it would be fascinating to see what could be done with them using contemporary techniques of printing--and without distracting glass reflections to blurr our impressions! Thanks for letting us know about this exhibit and your response to it.

I’m a bit skeptical about Adams’ view that he was a failure in color photography. As a performance artist with his camera, he may have felt less successful than he was because the public was too attached to his black-and-white images to applaud his color work. His color transparencies still exist, and it would be fascinating to see what could be done with them using contemporary techniques of printing–and without distracting glass reflections to blurr our impressions!

]]> By: bev http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/09/ansel-adams-and-the-polaroid/#comment-5846 bev Thu, 13 Sep 2007 15:03:05 +0000 http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/09/08/ansel-adams-and-the-polaroid/#comment-5846 Finally got a chance to come back here to read this post more carefully. A lot of interesting observations and information. Yes, I'd find that distracting to see the gallery in the reflections (and, in fact, have noticed similar in the past at some exhibits -- not such a good thing). Finally got a chance to come back here to read this post more carefully. A lot of interesting observations and information. Yes, I’d find that distracting to see the gallery in the reflections (and, in fact, have noticed similar in the past at some exhibits — not such a good thing).

]]> By: Shai http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/09/ansel-adams-and-the-polaroid/#comment-5845 Shai Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:38:45 +0000 http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/09/08/ansel-adams-and-the-polaroid/#comment-5845 What this wonderful set of Adams quotes points to is, in part, the frustration of a true artist by the "wow" factor sung by a public not as interested in art as it is in magic. And here's the artist, either following the cries of the public, his own curiosity, or a mixture of both, who can't figure out how to fit the new (still primitive) tools into his craft. Adam's brilliance with his landscape work is that he was able to provoke an emotional response from someone looking at his photographs that could mirror the kind of emotional response one might have in being at one of those landscapes. He bore witness to the grandeur of the west. There were no shortcuts involved to get there. His work required huge commitment, physical strength, a craftspersons knowhow and incredible patience. This all in addition to his artist's sensibility. I think he had a huge impact in terms of providing a visual canvas which the environmental movement could use and be inspired by to bring an emotional/aesthetic component to motivating people toward activism. In this new age of photography, is there a role that digital photography can play in saving spaces and saving our planet? I think so and I think Dave Bonta is one out there leading the way. It takes a different kind of commitment than the kind Ansel Adams had -- but commitment is still a key ingredient. The combination of photography, writing/blogging, and activism can be very powerful. What this wonderful set of Adams quotes points to is, in part, the frustration of a true artist by the “wow” factor sung by a public not as interested in art as it is in magic. And here’s the artist, either following the cries of the public, his own curiosity, or a mixture of both, who can’t figure out how to fit the new (still primitive) tools into his craft.

Adam’s brilliance with his landscape work is that he was able to provoke an emotional response from someone looking at his photographs that could mirror the kind of emotional response one might have in being at one of those landscapes. He bore witness to the grandeur of the west. There were no shortcuts involved to get there. His work required huge commitment, physical strength, a craftspersons knowhow and incredible patience. This all in addition to his artist’s sensibility. I think he had a huge impact in terms of providing a visual canvas which the environmental movement could use and be inspired by to bring an emotional/aesthetic component to motivating people toward activism.

In this new age of photography, is there a role that digital photography can play in saving spaces and saving our planet? I think so and I think Dave Bonta is one out there leading the way. It takes a different kind of commitment than the kind Ansel Adams had — but commitment is still a key ingredient. The combination of photography, writing/blogging, and activism can be very powerful.

]]> By: Fred Garber http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/09/ansel-adams-and-the-polaroid/#comment-5844 Fred Garber Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:58:56 +0000 http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/09/08/ansel-adams-and-the-polaroid/#comment-5844 Thanks for the post! Fascinating! I do not even own a camera. Once a year or so my wife and I buy one of those $4 disposible cameras and take a few pictures. I really prefer black and white fotos. Something unreal about the color ones. But then again the black and white are even more unreal. I have no idea what I am talking about! Thanks for the post! Fascinating! I do not even own a camera. Once a year or so my wife and I buy one of those $4 disposible cameras and take a few pictures. I really prefer black and white fotos. Something unreal about the color ones. But then again the black and white are even more unreal. I have no idea what I am talking about!

]]> By: Rebecca Clayton http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/09/ansel-adams-and-the-polaroid/#comment-5843 Rebecca Clayton Sun, 09 Sep 2007 14:19:00 +0000 http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/09/08/ansel-adams-and-the-polaroid/#comment-5843 That's a shame about the exhibit lighting--if you could let "someone in charge" know, they might be able to correct that problem. Ansel Adams was my teenage hero. I built myself a darkroom, and read his books, and had a really good time. I'd hoped to return to black and white film photography, but film and chemicals are hard to come by here, and there's a hazardous materials charge for having chemicals shipped...I've just given up and gone digital, but it's not nearly as much fun, at least not yet. The smell of the chemicals, the magic of exposing a white sheet of paper, dipping it in developer fluid, and watching the image come up...nothing can replace that on a computer screen. As for getting the same results, maybe you can, but the process is just an irritating programming problem, not a late-night adventure in alchemy. That’s a shame about the exhibit lighting–if you could let “someone in charge” know, they might be able to correct that problem.

Ansel Adams was my teenage hero. I built myself a darkroom, and read his books, and had a really good time. I’d hoped to return to black and white film photography, but film and chemicals are hard to come by here, and there’s a hazardous materials charge for having chemicals shipped…I’ve just given up and gone digital, but it’s not nearly as much fun, at least not yet. The smell of the chemicals, the magic of exposing a white sheet of paper, dipping it in developer fluid, and watching the image come up…nothing can replace that on a computer screen.

As for getting the same results, maybe you can, but the process is just an irritating programming problem, not a late-night adventure in alchemy.

]]> By: marja-leena http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/09/ansel-adams-and-the-polaroid/#comment-5842 marja-leena Sat, 08 Sep 2007 23:09:35 +0000 http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/09/08/ansel-adams-and-the-polaroid/#comment-5842 Interesting article, Dave. I had the same thought as Peter. I wonder what he would think of today's high end digital cameras. Some of today's big name photographers, Burtunsky for example, use the digital like Adams seems to have used the Polaroid, to preview subjects before shooting with a film camera. The colour vs black & white issue is thought provoking too. Interesting article, Dave. I had the same thought as Peter. I wonder what he would think of today’s high end digital cameras. Some of today’s big name photographers, Burtunsky for example, use the digital like Adams seems to have used the Polaroid, to preview subjects before shooting with a film camera. The colour vs black & white issue is thought provoking too.

]]> By: Peter http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/09/ansel-adams-and-the-polaroid/#comment-5841 Peter Sat, 08 Sep 2007 20:59:33 +0000 http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/09/08/ansel-adams-and-the-polaroid/#comment-5841 If he chafed at his lack of control, I wonder how he would have liked Photoshop and even the fancier applcations. Though if he spent his last years on trying to master color photography and then imagined himself a failure at it, I guess he would have liked it. Then again, perhaps he would have found it too easy or too popular a medium and would have thrown his efforts elsewhere. Just talking out loud here. If he chafed at his lack of control, I wonder how he would have liked Photoshop and even the fancier applcations. Though if he spent his last years on trying to master color photography and then imagined himself a failure at it, I guess he would have liked it. Then again, perhaps he would have found it too easy or too popular a medium and would have thrown his efforts elsewhere.

Just talking out loud here.

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