It just dawned on me that with your videos you are building an encyclopedia of photography: these are resources that will stand the passing of time and will educate the current and coming generations.
Carpet Hooligan he is aloud to have that opinion if the work doesn’t move him then it just doesn’t. That’s ok because he will like something you don’t and can’t see the fuss about. It’s called art we are allowed to like and dislike it.
Enjoy your videos and this is great. Except you refer to Adams and others as Southern California photographers. He lived and worked in San Francisco, Yosemite and finally in Carmel.
And you were absolutely right. Now that I've gotten into photography, got my first camera, and go out to shoot daily, whenever I have a question or am curious about something/someone related to photography, one of the first sources I research with is this RUclips channel.
Seven years after this excellent video there is now a resurgence of Ansel Adams the man and the study of The Zone System. Your educational videos on the man and the System are pivotal in keeping both alive for future photographers. Thank you for doing extensive research, investing countless hours to share your videos. Much appreciated.
If the internet is my photography school then you are the history of photography teacher and i like your class. Your presentation from 3:57 to 9:00 was especially interesting and well made.
Ansel was my biggest influence as a young photographer. I learned photography from a Kodak Tech Rep, so my background was very technical and I've spent countless hours in darkrooms over the years. To this day, I still strive for the perfection I saw in his work. Unfortunately, as you said, his style isn't modern any more and photography has changed in spite of his influence. For those of us who learned from (and actually got to meet) Ansel, it's sometimes difficult to catch up and change our styles since we've spent decades perfecting that style. I met Mr. Adams at a Retrospective Exhibition in Oklahoma City in 1977. He was the featured speaker at the opening (an invitation only event at the time) and he showed a number of glass plates he made in his commercial work. He was an interesting man to get to speak with and I was honored to have met him.
Regarding the moonrise photo...that's a good example of why you shouldn't let anyone discourage you from post-processing. Ansel obviously did a lot of post processing to that image. Far too often I keep getting stuck in the mindset of "Ok, I need to stop editing before I manipulate this one too much." I'm often too concerned about blown highlights and lost shadows, but when I look at many of these Ansel photos, it seems to me many have pure black with totally lost shadows ;-) But that's what makes them dramatic. So....I need to worry less....that's my point.
Hooked on Photography I remember he said, some photos he took is not what his idea portrays, so he post process his work for artistic effects... There is no shame in post processing, its part of your work as photographer .
Even after all the avant-garde we had in monochrome photography (Dirk Braeckman, Daido Moriyama, Eikoh Hosoe, etc.) there is no master like Ansel Adams. Every single one of his images make me feel something and his best make me burst to tears. This is the "painterly" quality Pictorialists talked about and failed to achieve, that a mechanically produced image can still shake a man to his knees. Simply the best photographer to have yet existed.
The greatest photographer in the greatest photography channel on RUclips 👌🏽 absolutely love these man I’m a student in the art of photography and ur a rare true teacher of photography.
Yes, I have the honor of see an exhibition in Oxford Uk , and I was shaking and crying of emotion , as a mountaineer I could sense texture of the rocks , the texture of the snow , the void of the bid walls, the sound of the cascades, on his prints. is just glorious! Eternal! The Bach of photography.t
I saw Clearing Winter Storm at the Detroit Institute of Art and it was awe inspiring. There has never been another photograph to have that big of an impact on me. The only one to come close was Yousuf Karsh's portrait of Winston Churchill.
Awesome video, Ansel Adams is one of my favorite photographers. My personal, but very personal opinion is that he is the best photographer ever. Thank you for all information you publish in your videos.
Nicely done. Ansel Adams and straight photography were my inspiration in the 70s. Thanks for taking the time to review his work. I remember the first time I saw one of his prints up close. The zone system managed dynamic range, something we still futz with.
Ansel was the Frank Lloyd Wright of photography. His work created global awareness like no other. He expanded and illuminated the technical aspects of the medium. He has more books, calenders, known images then any other photographer. He is a house-hold name even amongst those with no interest in photography. Still today, people from Bulgaria to China to Sante Fe step out their door hoping to take a landscape photo like Ansel Adams. He ceated a photographic bench-mark for us all to aspire to.
Really, really enjoy your videos, Ted! Please take this as a compliment . . . you speak as fast as many of us think, so the laconic vibe of your presentations effectively leads the viewer into your concepts at the speed of thought, and adds to the pleasure of watching you and following along. The only things I might add (in this day and age) about this particular piece on Ansel Adams, were his comments about, and his anticipation of, the electronic image. He lamented that he would not live to see it, but any study of his (very detailed) darkroom technique, for me, are tempered by his comments about this. I would LOVE to hear his commentary about the current state of photo-editing . . . and how it might, or might not, serve his particular goals.
I'm with you on this disclaimer. I became a photographer as a teenager because I saw the Ansel Adams prints on display in Las Vegas. It's just incredible what he did with his prints. I'm not sure I've ever been moved by any other photographs in the same way.
Please check me this, but from what I remember of my reading on AA, his artistic center was Northern California, not southern--SF Bay Area specifically. Ansel knew every important artist of his generation.
Thank you so much for this video! Ansel Adams remains my photographic hero, in terms of both the artistry and the technical side of things. As you point out, he really was a complete "package"; he knew everything about his art and craft inside out. And amazingly, he was so willing to share it. His great body of work came together so beautifully, interwoven with his philosophy of life and art. Brilliant!
I was fortunate enough to grow up in Jackson Hole and saw this (14:47) image many times. I had no idea this was Adams' photo! Thank you for the insight.
Ted, Thanks for finally getting to cover the main man Ansel Adams. Yes, we have moved on in a different direction regarding landscape work in the last 25 or so years; perhaps we are now just a little bit less purely decorative in our everyday aesthetic? Even though Ansel was looking forward to the use of computers in image making (there is a video somewhere with him saying that too), I do wonder if leaving analog behind and ONLY concentrating on digital in the art schools (also the "sexiness" of street and journalism) has destroyed the appreciation that a big chunk of the craft/skill/art aspects of analog photography was in the darkroom? Masters such as Ansel used the camera as the starting point - the real 'work' was in the darkroom. The product was the print, so now that the product is more often a "like" or an advert click does it even matter so much?
Bro, you are great at conveying your artistic thoughts and comments. You really can break stuff down and never sound irrationally-critical or anything. Thanks for making this!
I can't stop watching this video! Since early on in my photography adventure I read Ansel Adams books on the Camera, the Negative and the Print. Getting my livelyhood from offset printing I can relate to the zone system and the scales of grays and densitometry! In my humble opinion the original print of Moonlit Hernández isn't half bad, however, the last one is superb, surreal, the artistic interpretation of the atmosphere over this town!
AA was based in Carmel CA. Carmel has a long and storied history (thanks in part to Ansel) which is worth a look at separately. Carmel is definitely not in Southern California
Another great video, Ted. You really brought great insight into Adams' work. You commented near the beginning that if you ask anyone to name a photographer, Ansel Adams would be pretty much the top of everyone's list. And that's true for photographers. Here in the UK I bet that if you asked the question of people of my (our?) age, the answer would be David Bailey. He'd be a great subject for one of your videos, though he is still alive. Keep up the great work!
Went to Yellowstone 2 years ago and went to the spot overlooking the Snake River and to my disappointment you can't see the bottom part of the river.the trees had grown tall in the 79 years since Ansel took it that makes the photograph even more special
Ansel Adams is the Johann Sebastian Bach of photography. In addition to his artistic dimension, so well described in Ted's video, Adams was also an accomplished technician. Many of us have carefully studied his Zone System.
Wow, an intelligent photography website! Really good stuff, and you know your history, which is very important in the whole world of photography. Thanks for the quality material!
I actually acquired a Weston Master light meter to use and learned it's the same kind that Ansel used, I can see him holding one at 4:11 and now I'm giddily running to fetch it to cradle while watching this! I metered with it for my "everything old" roll, it's a bit strange because the Weston scale differs slightly from the ISO scale. Ansel's use of contrast and immense framing is such an inspiration, he's probably the reason I rarely shoot B&W without a red filter...
I first learned darkroom technique and studio lighting on my own from Kodak ‘How To…” books starting in 1969 before discovering Adams Zone System books and learning if from them in 1971-72. What made Adams’ approach different than Kodak’s technically was his insistence on printing on just one grade of paper, Kodak #2, normally used in the Kodak multigrade paper system for roll film on clear sunny days what Adams called his “Normal” development. With Kodak on cloudy or overcast days or open shade “normal” development produced ‘thin’ negatives (less highlight density) and grades 3 and 4 paper would be used. Adams using sheet film which could be processed shot-by-shot, or Hasselblads with removable backs for different contrast lighting, developed the negatives taken with lower contrast lighting to wind up with the same results: a print with a full ‘normal’ seen by eye tonal range and detail from deepest shadow to brightest non-specular highlights. When switching to Panchromatic film Adams discovered he could artificially darken skies with red filters, make green foliage seem to glow with a green filter and do the same with fall leaves with an orange one. He also did extensive dodging and burning when making the prints. Prior to Adams doing that photography had been considered a more literal photo journalistic documentary medium, just recording what was there without any ‘artistic’ interpretation. He was fond of saying that the negative was the score in that it just recording what was there without any editing other than shifting contrast relationships with the filters at capture and the dodging and burning when making the print the performance. Having been there and done it the old way I am very happy to now do it much easier electronically. 😊
This is a true statement. When I was an art student in the late ‘80’s’ the school arranged for a private viewing of some famous images at thePhilly museum. Among them was an Adams and it seemed to me like it was three dimensional
Love this video, thank you! Always admired Ansels work from afar (UK), but were lucky enough to visit Yosemite in 2013. I agree that the original prints are just way beyond anything I'd seen in print and well worth seeking out if you are already an AA admirer. Amazing photos .. and Yosemite wasn't too shabby either! :o)
Thanks for a balanced, Ansel Adams “professorial” video which, by the way, belongs in any arts university, or library in the country, consistent with all your videos, you did the home work. Also, dressed the part. Hehehee….Bravo !
What I found interesting about Ansel Adams’s work is his art photography on the Sierra Nevada mountains and landscape. I also thought that it was unique because none of his prints can be reprinted and reproduced in the exact same way. It slowly loses his small details found in his work. And this makes it less impactful rather than when you see it in person. What I liked most was his moonrise photo.
The Zone System was only one crucial part for Ansal Adams Darkroom Majic. Ansal's real Majic was the use of the Zone System for creating what he called, "The Prefect Negatives" which was the essence of the Zone System for his Prints. As I understand it. Non the less, it was Ansal's Black & White which drew me to Black & White Photography in the first place. I simply love it.
Ah Ted Ansel Died on April 22, 1984, I was in my darkroom when I heard the news, and then on the next month I got job working at Ansel's place where he got his enlarger fix at AGI Camera store in San Francisco, and work there for 33 happy years in which I met Cole, and Kim weston, and then his wife that owns the Weston Gallery, and Jim Marshall, Herman Leonard, Karsh, Arnold Newman, and Joel Rosenthal, and Ruth Bernhard, Prickle Jones, and John Gutmann... Those were the days before Digital..
Ansel Adams might be 'old school', but I do feel much connection with his work. As if you feel that he gave all he had to reach a level of perfection and complete freedom of expression. Good to know that you a third generation Ansel Adams, Ted, but that was already very clear! Now Stieglitz, he is a giant for me, but I do not understand his fame in photography itself (and that is my fault,... I know). His cloud studies are beautiful, but is that because of the picture, of because of the cloud? So, a real Ted Forbes episode on Stieglitz to save my life in heaven (I'm sure Adams will kick me out after what I said here about Stieglitz :-) )
A great video Ted, I've been waiting for this one for a long time now. And you are so right with regards to comparing even the best scans or images in books and his actual prints. I've had the pleasure of seeing a good amount of his work in person. I've also had the pleasure of meeting his daughter in law on multiple occasions. At one time, I even had some chemistry that was in Ansel Adams darkroom. He was really known for mixing his own chemistry as well.
It's interesting to see these images and listen about his darkroom manipulations, especially when I think about all those times when I saw people slamming retouching software and saying how film photography is the only true photography because it's not Photoshoped :D I still have 3 rolls of exposed film in my fridge, should finally develop it. And, a roll to finish next Monday. Thanks for this gentle nudge :)
+David Meyer To be honest I'm still on the side with manipulations aren't true photography. Now the darkroom trickery used I still see as not a pure photo, is it nice? Yes, it it pure? No, I think the artistry is still there but I wouldn't call it the art of photography, I would call it the art of developmentography. True photography I feel is without image manipulation or development manipulation. I believe the only real true photography is either instant film photography or slide film. I shoot slide film purposely because I believe it is THE most challenging to get right. There is limited dynamic range, but what you can DO with that range is amazing if you do it RIGHT. That I believe is true photography, that once you've taken the photo nothing else is done to the image. If you didn't get it right when the light hits the film, you didn't do it right. Thats my purest outlook on it. Now I do appreciate manipulated photography's beauty, there are some stunning stuff out there, but to me it's just not real, anyone with enough time and energy can fix something after you made a mistake, the real photography is NOT making the mistake in the first place.
I would call it pure. It is still a part of the process of film photography. You could say the same thing about pottery. You can put just the pure clay in the kiln and be done, or you can throw it back into the kiln with glaze. Still considered pure pottery you know?
Really a great one, again! Can't wait for that Cartier Bresson you said you had in the works. I also would like to suggest an episode on Izis Bidermanas if it manages to fit in your schedule. Thanks for your great work.
Thanks Ted ( theartofphotography ) for another great episode. Every time see one of your episodes it makes me appreciate your channel more and more. It inspires me to be a better photographer and insights to the photography world since I am the first of my family to pursue photography.
Strand and Stieglitz before Adams in terms of Pure/Straight photography. Adams had met Strand in Taos in 1930 while he was hesitating between music (piano) and photography. Strand showed him some of his 8x10 negatives. Two years later (1932), Adams had broken away from pictorialism, adopted Strand's and Weston's ways of printing on glossy (baryta) paper and co-founded the f. 64 group (Ansel Adams, "An Autobiography", p. 109-112).
You beat me to it. I was going to suggest the same thing as I know him personally. Clyde is a great person. No doubt Clyde would be happy to do a segment.
theartofphotography I am confident I can facilitate in helping make that happen. I looked at your website and saw no email. Here is mine. Connect with me through email and I will tell you what I can do. >>>>> CraigBLPhoto@aol.com. Thanks and have a great day.
I wouldn't say that Ansel or Vivian are in any way household names. I've never heard of either of them until today when i started preparing for my photography class in the spring, and neither are mentioned in contemporary pop culture or any media outside of photography or art history. I'm not bashing them or this video, but to say that they are household names outside of a photography is a bit of a stretch. Maybe at one time they were, back closer to their times, but ask most anyone on the street (besides photographers or art majors) and you will probably just get a bunch of shoulder shrugs.
Hi Ted, big fan of your videos, love to dip in once in a while, your definitely an inspiration compared to the constant camera reviews, you've got me really looking at photography more, I just bought a copy of Snake River and it is beutiful, I'd love to see a real copy at some point.
Your content is very unique and interesting. I really enjoy the wide range of topics in your videos, from reviews to history. Very informative and well done, love your work!
Thanks a lot Ted for your educational, beautiful efforts! I have been watching your videos for a while, and I really appreciate you and your knowledge! I am thinking about starting my own RUclips channel touch some nice points that you have discussed but I will do that in Arabic. I studied cinematography here in US and then I decided to study photography as well to get deeper in the field. You have been inspiring me and hopefully I will do nice job like yours ! Thanks again and please keep conducting this symphony going on! Until then, wish you a happy New Year! Ihab
Overall an excellent overview of Ansel Adams and his imagery. And I would certainly agree with the statement that seeing an actual Adam's print clearly trumps viewing his work via book or screen. As you rightly point out Ansel's prints are simply breathtakingly beautiful! In the early 1970s I had the good fortune to attend an Ansel Adams retrospective at Stanford University. I don't recall precisely how many of his prints were on display but there were many. Some of the most impressive examples of his work consisted of...drum roll please...portraits! I would tend to disagree with your assessment of Ansel's portrait skills...have you seen the image he made of Tony Luhan? Lastly I find myself wondering if by "pure photography" Ansel was talking more about intent than about technique. Pure photography today, in the digital age, has come to mean not beating an image to death with Photoshop and its ilk. In Ansel"s day I believe the measure of purity had more to do with a basic belief in the photographic process and in the degree of "Art" achievable using a camera. Whenever I hear a photographer attributing a basic distaste of photo manipulation to Ansel I am caught between laughter and tears! Even a brief glance at his books on technique quickly reveals that Ansel's concept of the visualized print virtually dictates - in most cases anyway - extensive manipulation both in making the negative and then in creating the print. Last, but not least, I have always felt that the driving force behind Ansel's long and prolific career as a photographer was his love of and for the natural world. Sadly it sometimes seems today as if many landscape photographers are driven more by the desire to achieve recognition as a photographer than by the desire to pay homage to the natural scene. The relationship of many modern photographers to nature is rather similar to the relationship of today's climbers to the mountains. When I began rock climbing in 1969 it was often seen as a means of accessing beautiful areas of the mountains otherwise inacessible, whereas today it would seem that many climbers are happier on a climbing wall in a gym than in the physical mountains themselves.
Great show Ted! I'm not an Adams fan, but I love the portrait photo! Nature has no emotional component to behold, only color, shape and action...so why throw away it's most alluring attribute...color? For me, the portrait is the ONLY photo that should have been black and white, because the color of the scene would actually be a distraction from the topic of the man. Depending on the purpose of a portrait, (admiring beauty, conveying pain, etc..) color may reinforce or be counterproductive. Everyone, EVERYONE remembers the National Geographic girl with the green eyes, but how many people know anything else about her? If I ever stumble upon an Adams collection, I'll sell it. Except for the portraits. ;)
I'm the other way around. Pictures like the Aspens pair, especially the vertical, I find absolutely stunning. The abstracted bits of Yosemite, the same. The vistas? Blah. (And I've never gotten the attraction of Moonrise at all.) But, as the French say, everyone has the gout.
It just dawned on me that with your videos you are building an encyclopedia of photography: these are resources that will stand the passing of time and will educate the current and coming generations.
This photo must be much different in real life because I do not see anything incredible about this image
Definitely and I thank him
Carpet Hooligan he is aloud to have that opinion if the work doesn’t move him then it just doesn’t. That’s ok because he will like something you don’t and can’t see the fuss about. It’s called art we are allowed to like and dislike it.
Enjoy your videos and this is great. Except you refer to Adams and others as Southern California photographers. He lived and worked in San Francisco, Yosemite and finally in Carmel.
And you were absolutely right. Now that I've gotten into photography, got my first camera, and go out to shoot daily, whenever I have a question or am curious about something/someone related to photography, one of the first sources I research with is this RUclips channel.
Seven years after this excellent video there is now a resurgence of Ansel Adams the man and the study of The Zone System. Your educational videos on the man and the System are pivotal in keeping both alive for future photographers. Thank you for doing extensive research, investing countless hours to share your videos. Much appreciated.
If the internet is my photography school then you are the history of photography teacher and i like your class. Your presentation from 3:57 to 9:00 was especially interesting and well made.
Thanks homie
Absolutely incredible and eye-opening video. How great his work is. No DSLR, No megapixels, No photoshop or Lightroom...Amazing.
I'm a photography teacher in Phoenix Az. Your videos are shared with my class on a regular basis. I just wanted to say thank you!
Ansel was my biggest influence as a young photographer. I learned photography from a Kodak Tech Rep, so my background was very technical and I've spent countless hours in darkrooms over the years. To this day, I still strive for the perfection I saw in his work. Unfortunately, as you said, his style isn't modern any more and photography has changed in spite of his influence. For those of us who learned from (and actually got to meet) Ansel, it's sometimes difficult to catch up and change our styles since we've spent decades perfecting that style. I met Mr. Adams at a Retrospective Exhibition in Oklahoma City in 1977. He was the featured speaker at the opening (an invitation only event at the time) and he showed a number of glass plates he made in his commercial work. He was an interesting man to get to speak with and I was honored to have met him.
Wow - what an experience!
Can you speak about how photography style today has changed compared to his?
Regarding the moonrise photo...that's a good example of why you shouldn't let anyone discourage you from post-processing. Ansel obviously did a lot of post processing to that image. Far too often I keep getting stuck in the mindset of "Ok, I need to stop editing before I manipulate this one too much." I'm often too concerned about blown highlights and lost shadows, but when I look at many of these Ansel photos, it seems to me many have pure black with totally lost shadows ;-) But that's what makes them dramatic. So....I need to worry less....that's my point.
Hooked on Photography I remember he said, some photos he took is not what his idea portrays, so he post process his work for artistic effects... There is no shame in post processing, its part of your work as photographer
.
His zone system is something I've always admired, a true master of masters.
Even after all the avant-garde we had in monochrome photography (Dirk Braeckman, Daido Moriyama, Eikoh Hosoe, etc.) there is no master like Ansel Adams. Every single one of his images make me feel something and his best make me burst to tears. This is the "painterly" quality Pictorialists talked about and failed to achieve, that a mechanically produced image can still shake a man to his knees. Simply the best photographer to have yet existed.
The greatest photographer in the greatest photography channel on RUclips 👌🏽 absolutely love these man I’m a student in the art of photography and ur a rare true teacher of photography.
Yes, I have the honor of see an exhibition in Oxford Uk , and I was shaking and crying of emotion , as a mountaineer I could sense texture of the rocks , the texture of the snow , the void of the bid walls, the sound of the cascades, on his prints. is just glorious! Eternal!
The Bach of photography.t
Is 2022 and this kind of content is so precious
Seven years later and this is still so relevant 🙂 Good job, as always.
I saw Clearing Winter Storm at the Detroit Institute of Art and it was awe inspiring. There has never been another photograph to have that big of an impact on me. The only one to come close was Yousuf Karsh's portrait of Winston Churchill.
Awesome video, Ansel Adams is one of my favorite photographers. My personal, but very personal opinion is that he is the best photographer ever.
Thank you for all information you publish in your videos.
Nicely done. Ansel Adams and straight photography were my inspiration in the 70s. Thanks for taking the time to review his work. I remember the first time I saw one of his prints up close. The zone system managed dynamic range, something we still futz with.
Ansel was the Frank Lloyd Wright of photography. His work created global awareness like no other. He expanded and illuminated the technical aspects of the medium. He has more books, calenders, known images then any other photographer. He is a house-hold name even amongst those with no interest in photography. Still today, people from Bulgaria to China to Sante Fe step out their door hoping to take a landscape photo like Ansel Adams. He ceated a photographic bench-mark for us all to aspire to.
Really, really enjoy your videos, Ted! Please take this as a compliment . . . you speak as fast as many of us think, so the laconic vibe of your presentations effectively leads the viewer into your concepts at the speed of thought, and adds to the pleasure of watching you and following along.
The only things I might add (in this day and age) about this particular piece on Ansel Adams, were his comments about, and his anticipation of, the electronic image. He lamented that he would not live to see it, but any study of his (very detailed) darkroom technique, for me, are tempered by his comments about this. I would LOVE to hear his commentary about the current state of photo-editing . . . and how it might, or might not, serve his particular goals.
I'm with you on this disclaimer. I became a photographer as a teenager because I saw the Ansel Adams prints on display in Las Vegas. It's just incredible what he did with his prints. I'm not sure I've ever been moved by any other photographs in the same way.
his biography is excellent btw
Please check me this, but from what I remember of my reading on AA, his artistic center was Northern California, not southern--SF Bay Area specifically. Ansel knew every important artist of his generation.
Thank you so much for this video! Ansel Adams remains my photographic hero, in terms of both the artistry and the technical side of things. As you point out, he really was a complete "package"; he knew everything about his art and craft inside out. And amazingly, he was so willing to share it. His great body of work came together so beautifully, interwoven with his philosophy of life and art. Brilliant!
Love, this podcast......i, have admired Ansel's pictures, few that i've seen. I shall, lookup other Anel's stuff! ......................Fantastic
In 2020 I am reviewing all of your reviews on photographers. Thanks for your love and effort you have put into your videos.
I wish I would have known about Ansel before I had my four boys. I would have named one Ansel. His Legacy will never die! I love his work.
I was fortunate enough to grow up in Jackson Hole and saw this (14:47) image many times. I had no idea this was Adams' photo! Thank you for the insight.
Seen a read many books, papers and videos on Ansel Adams. This is one of the best. Thanks for the video!
Had to go back to the video that introduced me to my favorite photographer, thank you Ted.
Ted,
Thanks for finally getting to cover the main man Ansel Adams. Yes, we have moved on in a different direction regarding landscape work in the last 25 or so years; perhaps we are now just a little bit less purely decorative in our everyday aesthetic?
Even though Ansel was looking forward to the use of computers in image making (there is a video somewhere with him saying that too), I do wonder if leaving analog behind and ONLY concentrating on digital in the art schools (also the "sexiness" of street and journalism) has destroyed the appreciation that a big chunk of the craft/skill/art aspects of analog photography was in the darkroom?
Masters such as Ansel used the camera as the starting point - the real 'work' was in the darkroom. The product was the print, so now that the product is more often a "like" or an advert click does it even matter so much?
i love the music during the video. LOVE IT! i like Ansel Adam's work, but in this video, the music caught me more :)
Old Ted videos are just so good.
Bro, you are great at conveying your artistic thoughts and comments. You really can break stuff down and never sound irrationally-critical or anything. Thanks for making this!
Now, this is the Ted Forbes I really like. Such a great story and so much to learn here.
I can't stop watching this video! Since early on in my photography adventure I read Ansel Adams books on the Camera, the Negative and the Print. Getting my livelyhood from offset printing I can relate to the zone system and the scales of grays and densitometry!
In my humble opinion the original print of Moonlit Hernández isn't half bad, however, the last one is superb, surreal, the artistic interpretation of the atmosphere over this town!
AA was based in Carmel CA. Carmel has a long and storied history (thanks in part to Ansel) which is worth a look at separately. Carmel is definitely not in Southern California
Another great video, Ted. You really brought great insight into Adams' work.
You commented near the beginning that if you ask anyone to name a photographer, Ansel Adams would be pretty much the top of everyone's list. And that's true for photographers. Here in the UK I bet that if you asked the question of people of my (our?) age, the answer would be David Bailey. He'd be a great subject for one of your videos, though he is still alive.
Keep up the great work!
Went to Yellowstone 2 years ago and went to the spot overlooking the Snake River and to my disappointment you can't see the bottom part of the river.the trees had grown tall in the 79 years since Ansel took it that makes the photograph even more special
Ansel Adams is the Johann Sebastian Bach of photography.
In addition to his artistic dimension, so well described in Ted's video, Adams was also an accomplished technician.
Many of us have carefully studied his Zone System.
Wow, an intelligent photography website! Really good stuff, and you know your history, which is very important in the whole world of photography. Thanks for the quality material!
I actually acquired a Weston Master light meter to use and learned it's the same kind that Ansel used, I can see him holding one at 4:11 and now I'm giddily running to fetch it to cradle while watching this! I metered with it for my "everything old" roll, it's a bit strange because the Weston scale differs slightly from the ISO scale.
Ansel's use of contrast and immense framing is such an inspiration, he's probably the reason I rarely shoot B&W without a red filter...
I first learned darkroom technique and studio lighting on my own from Kodak ‘How To…” books starting in 1969 before discovering Adams Zone System books and learning if from them in 1971-72.
What made Adams’ approach different than Kodak’s technically was his insistence on printing on just one grade of paper, Kodak #2, normally used in the Kodak multigrade paper system for roll film on clear sunny days what Adams called his “Normal” development. With Kodak on cloudy or overcast days or open shade “normal” development produced ‘thin’ negatives (less highlight density) and grades 3 and 4 paper would be used. Adams using sheet film which could be processed shot-by-shot, or Hasselblads with removable backs for different contrast lighting, developed the negatives taken with lower contrast lighting to wind up with the same results: a print with a full ‘normal’ seen by eye tonal range and detail from deepest shadow to brightest non-specular highlights.
When switching to Panchromatic film Adams discovered he could artificially darken skies with red filters, make green foliage seem to glow with a green filter and do the same with fall leaves with an orange one. He also did extensive dodging and burning when making the prints.
Prior to Adams doing that photography had been considered a more literal photo journalistic documentary medium, just recording what was there without any ‘artistic’ interpretation. He was fond of saying that the negative was the score in that it just recording what was there without any editing other than shifting contrast relationships with the filters at capture and the dodging and burning when making the print the performance.
Having been there and done it the old way I am very happy to now do it much easier electronically. 😊
Those Yosemite photos are amazing
What an absolutely fascinating talk. Thank you.
Incredible, thank you. What an incredibly educational, not to mention enjoyable way to explore photography, Bravo!
Thank you for your amazing presentational skill which captures the attention of those that watch your videos and provides enjoyment ..😃
This is a true statement. When I was an art student in the late ‘80’s’ the school arranged for a private viewing of some famous images at thePhilly museum. Among them was an Adams and it seemed to me like it was three dimensional
Its always a pleasure to watch one of your video's Ted. Keep up the excellent work.
The modern day equivalent for printing something that many times would be processing it in Photoshop many, many times.
Love this video, thank you! Always admired Ansels work from afar (UK), but were lucky enough to visit Yosemite in 2013. I agree that the original prints are just way beyond anything I'd seen in print and well worth seeking out if you are already an AA admirer. Amazing photos .. and Yosemite wasn't too shabby either! :o)
YES! For AA, one MUST see the original print!
You're right, Adam's work, or anyone else's work, doesn't reproduce well. This is especially true if there is fine shadow and highlight detail.
Your really good. Well done. I love his AA's mood of creating images. I think his methods have a major legacy in the Photoshop code today.
Thanks for a balanced, Ansel Adams “professorial” video which, by the way, belongs in any arts university, or library in the country, consistent with all your videos, you did the home work.
Also, dressed the part. Hehehee….Bravo !
What I found interesting about Ansel Adams’s work is his art photography on the Sierra Nevada mountains and landscape. I also thought that it was unique because none of his prints can be reprinted and reproduced in the exact same way. It slowly loses his small details found in his work. And this makes it less impactful rather than when you see it in person. What I liked most was his moonrise photo.
Wonderful in-depth look into Adams, thanks Ted!
the contrast in his images was about as near to perfect as I can think of.
The Zone System was only one crucial part for Ansal Adams Darkroom Majic. Ansal's real Majic was the use of the Zone System for creating what he called, "The Prefect Negatives" which was the essence of the Zone System for his Prints. As I understand it. Non the less, it was Ansal's Black & White which drew me to Black & White Photography in the first place. I simply love it.
Ah Ted Ansel Died on April 22, 1984, I was in my darkroom when I heard the news, and then on the next month I got job working at Ansel's place where he got his enlarger fix at AGI Camera store in San Francisco, and work there for 33 happy years in which I met Cole, and Kim weston, and then his wife that owns the Weston Gallery, and Jim Marshall, Herman Leonard, Karsh, Arnold Newman, and Joel Rosenthal, and Ruth Bernhard, Prickle Jones, and John Gutmann... Those were the days before Digital..
Really enjoyed this video in 2023
Ansel Adams might be 'old school', but I do feel much connection with his work. As if you feel that he gave all he had to reach a level of perfection and complete freedom of expression. Good to know that you a third generation Ansel Adams, Ted, but that was already very clear! Now Stieglitz, he is a giant for me, but I do not understand his fame in photography itself (and that is my fault,... I know). His cloud studies are beautiful, but is that because of the picture, of because of the cloud? So, a real Ted Forbes episode on Stieglitz to save my life in heaven (I'm sure Adams will kick me out after what I said here about Stieglitz :-) )
You say that as if people feel _disconnected_ from his work..?
A great video Ted, I've been waiting for this one for a long time now. And you are so right with regards to comparing even the best scans or images in books and his actual prints. I've had the pleasure of seeing a good amount of his work in person. I've also had the pleasure of meeting his daughter in law on multiple occasions. At one time, I even had some chemistry that was in Ansel Adams darkroom. He was really known for mixing his own chemistry as well.
A fascinating video. I really love that last image with the light and shadows!
Negative size for Monolith Face of Half Dome, mentioned at 11:57, is 6 1/2 by 8. Glass plate.
favorite episode thus far, thank you for the awesome content. always a pleasure watching.
thank you for doing these photographer series. i just watched your fan ho video. excellent!
Thanks Ted. Great discussion of his work. Much appreciated!
Finally an ansel adams episode! Great job! Love the show!
Really nice "aperçu" of Ansel Adams work / life and relations
Thank you. This was a great video! So informative. Moving really
It's interesting to see these images and listen about his darkroom manipulations, especially when I think about all those times when I saw people slamming retouching software and saying how film photography is the only true photography because it's not Photoshoped :D I still have 3 rolls of exposed film in my fridge, should finally develop it. And, a roll to finish next Monday. Thanks for this gentle nudge :)
David Meyer yep - the manipulation argument has been around since the beginning of photography ;-) Ansel caught criticism as well.
+David Meyer To be honest I'm still on the side with manipulations aren't true photography. Now the darkroom trickery used I still see as not a pure photo, is it nice? Yes, it it pure? No, I think the artistry is still there but I wouldn't call it the art of photography, I would call it the art of developmentography. True photography I feel is without image manipulation or development manipulation. I believe the only real true photography is either instant film photography or slide film. I shoot slide film purposely because I believe it is THE most challenging to get right. There is limited dynamic range, but what you can DO with that range is amazing if you do it RIGHT. That I believe is true photography, that once you've taken the photo nothing else is done to the image. If you didn't get it right when the light hits the film, you didn't do it right. Thats my purest outlook on it. Now I do appreciate manipulated photography's beauty, there are some stunning stuff out there, but to me it's just not real, anyone with enough time and energy can fix something after you made a mistake, the real photography is NOT making the mistake in the first place.
I would call it pure. It is still a part of the process of film photography. You could say the same thing about pottery. You can put just the pure clay in the kiln and be done, or you can throw it back into the kiln with glaze. Still considered pure pottery you know?
Really a great one, again! Can't wait for that Cartier Bresson you said you had in the works. I also would like to suggest an episode on Izis Bidermanas if it manages to fit in your schedule. Thanks for your great work.
Thank you.
Are these videos in one playlist?
Thank you for producing them. They're sincerely appreciated.
Thank you for your work inspiring and motivational - fashion, trends come n go imo, but AA remains our ‘oldscool’ Master. 🙏🏼🌗✨
18min40 point about the two schools comparison was pleasant to hear. Ta
Thanks Ted ( theartofphotography ) for another great episode. Every time see one of your episodes it makes me appreciate your channel more and more. It inspires me to be a better photographer and insights to the photography world since I am the first of my family to pursue photography.
Strand and Stieglitz before Adams in terms of Pure/Straight photography. Adams had met Strand in Taos in 1930 while he was hesitating between music (piano) and photography. Strand showed him some of his 8x10 negatives. Two years later (1932), Adams had broken away from pictorialism, adopted Strand's and Weston's ways of printing on glossy (baryta) paper and co-founded the f. 64 group (Ansel Adams, "An Autobiography", p. 109-112).
You should do a video on Clyde Butcher, I'd like to know what you think.
Yes! Great suggestion. Ted, I see a trip to the swamp in your future.
You beat me to it. I was going to suggest the same thing as I know him personally. Clyde is a great person.
No doubt Clyde would be happy to do a segment.
Craig Houdeshell Would LOVE to find a way to do that!!!
theartofphotography
I am confident I can facilitate in helping make that happen. I looked at your website and saw no email. Here is mine. Connect with me through email and I will tell you what I can do. >>>>> CraigBLPhoto@aol.com. Thanks and have a great day.
I wouldn't say that Ansel or Vivian are in any way household names. I've never heard of either of them until today when i started preparing for my photography class in the spring, and neither are mentioned in contemporary pop culture or any media outside of photography or art history. I'm not bashing them or this video, but to say that they are household names outside of a photography is a bit of a stretch. Maybe at one time they were, back closer to their times, but ask most anyone on the street (besides photographers or art majors) and you will probably just get a bunch of shoulder shrugs.
Hi Ted, big fan of your videos, love to dip in once in a while, your definitely an inspiration compared to the constant camera reviews, you've got me really looking at photography more, I just bought a copy of Snake River and it is beutiful, I'd love to see a real copy at some point.
Your content is very unique and interesting. I really enjoy the wide range of topics in your videos, from reviews to history. Very informative and well done, love your work!
Always such a great job! 🙏👌💯
Can you please do an episode on Philip-Lorca diCorcia.
You are a very interesting person, great communication and probably (not really because I think you are) an Artist at Art (heart) !!!
I am loving this channel!
Thanks a lot Ted for your educational, beautiful efforts! I have been watching your videos for a while, and I really appreciate you and your knowledge! I am thinking about starting my own RUclips channel touch some nice points that you have discussed but I will do that in Arabic. I studied cinematography here in US and then I decided to study photography as well to get deeper in the field. You have been inspiring me and hopefully I will do nice job like yours !
Thanks again and please keep conducting this symphony going on! Until then, wish you a happy New Year!
Ihab
Another great video of one of my favourite photographers. Can you tell me, Ted, what's the name of the track you used here? It's so peaceful!
Very good production
Fantastic presentation, done beautifully. What’s the name of the music from 3:17?
Informative.thanks
Great documentary, thank you
Overall an excellent overview of Ansel Adams and his imagery. And I would certainly agree with the statement that seeing an actual Adam's print clearly trumps viewing his work via book or screen. As you rightly point out Ansel's prints are simply breathtakingly beautiful! In the early 1970s I had the good fortune to attend an Ansel Adams retrospective at Stanford University. I don't recall precisely how many of his prints were on display but there were many. Some of the most impressive examples of his work consisted of...drum roll please...portraits! I would tend to disagree with your assessment of Ansel's portrait skills...have you seen the image he made of Tony Luhan? Lastly I find myself wondering if by "pure photography" Ansel was talking more about intent than about technique. Pure photography today, in the digital age, has come to mean not beating an image to death with Photoshop and its ilk. In Ansel"s day I believe the measure of purity had more to do with a basic belief in the photographic process and in the degree of "Art" achievable using a camera. Whenever I hear a photographer attributing a basic distaste of photo manipulation to Ansel I am caught between laughter and tears! Even a brief glance at his books on technique quickly reveals that Ansel's concept of the visualized print virtually dictates - in most cases anyway - extensive manipulation both in making the negative and then in creating the print. Last, but not least, I have always felt that the driving force behind Ansel's long and prolific career as a photographer was his love of and for the natural world. Sadly it sometimes seems today as if many landscape photographers are driven more by the desire to achieve recognition as a photographer than by the desire to pay homage to the natural scene. The relationship of many modern photographers to nature is rather similar to the relationship of today's climbers to the mountains. When I began rock climbing in 1969 it was often seen as a means of accessing beautiful areas of the mountains otherwise inacessible, whereas today it would seem that many climbers are happier on a climbing wall in a gym than in the physical mountains themselves.
great documentary ! , thanks for sharing.
hi Ted! a big thanks for those GREAT episodes!
what is the name of the instrumental song? appreciate
much love
is this part 2 of earlier video, because it is starting without any intro, i would like to see the earlier information of this video, regards
Great show Ted! I'm not an Adams fan, but I love the portrait photo! Nature has no emotional component to behold, only color, shape and action...so why throw away it's most alluring attribute...color? For me, the portrait is the ONLY photo that should have been black and white, because the color of the scene would actually be a distraction from the topic of the man. Depending on the purpose of a portrait, (admiring beauty, conveying pain, etc..) color may reinforce or be counterproductive. Everyone, EVERYONE remembers the National Geographic girl with the green eyes, but how many people know anything else about her? If I ever stumble upon an Adams collection, I'll sell it. Except for the portraits. ;)
Nice composition, but without color...it's just a symphony of kazoos...in mono yet.
So, what is the opinion of filters for the purist?
Great summary
I'm the other way around. Pictures like the Aspens pair, especially the vertical, I find absolutely stunning. The abstracted bits of Yosemite, the same. The vistas? Blah. (And I've never gotten the attraction of Moonrise at all.) But, as the French say, everyone has the gout.
Thank you sir
Photography is an artistic skill that photographer possessed or artist paints a picture with colour or black and white pictures.