Ansel Adams was a monochrome, western landscape photographer based in America. His work under the 19th century explored the landscape and wilderness side of america in relation to his personal interest in nature since his young age. Exploring a creative medium was bound for Adams, considering his passion for other creative mediums such as painting and music. One would say that Adams is influential and notable due to his many practises and the ability to consistently show his thought and view of a subject through perfectly technically adjusting camera settings giving the end desired image he had initially visualised. His knowledge inspiring other photographers, insightfulness provided in his written books.
In terms of my photography, I would like to follow the way in which Adams has exposed and carefully chosen certain shadows and highlights of photos, along with compositions of main subjects, and messages behind this, for example, the whole theme of monochrome and dark imagery with hints of lighter grey or white. This could symbolise how he saw things around him as negative, but with 'light at the end if of a tunnel,' possibly linking to the childhood Adams had after facing an earthquake, great fire and financial family struggle at a young age. The lighter use of colour may have represented the hope and passion he held for creative mediums, yet the blacks being the downside experiences.
One of his books which I have studied is "the making of 40 photographs" this including information of Adams best work, including technical and aesthetical qualities about each piece. One photograph within the book which is my favourite being "Moon and Half Dome," 1960. The composition of the shadows and placement of the darker mountains in contrast to the lighter ridged landscape creates an interesting, aesthetical end view. I particularly enjoy how no part of the part of the photo stays at one predictable shade and renders through the monochrome stage unevenly. The question I found myself wondering about this photograph being what the main subject is - the moon due to its clarity and not overexposed brightness, and perfect composition timing, or the big sized cliff taking the foreground, dominating the photo in terms of size. The element I enjoyed reading/ researching most was Adams intentions behind the photo, taken in his grown up environment of photographing, Yosemite Valley. His visualisation of continuously going and photographing in the valley based in California, but always having different visualisations of what the photograph will be, though the same area. Considering how fast landscapes change in terms of lighting and ways in which certain trees move, for example. His comment on this photograph, "I have photographed Half Dome innumerable times, but it is never the same Half Dome," "Half Dome is a great mountain with endless variations of lighting... and seasonal characteristics" (Adams, 1983) In terms of historical photography figures, Ansel Adams provides all technical settings he used to capture certain photographs, and explains his reasoning behind them and references other photographers. His evidenced work has acted as guidelines & as inspirations for developing photographers from 19th century onwards. Realising the passion he held behind the locations chosen has made me realise the importance location will have for my final photographs and possibly how these places hold significant personal meanings. I also intend to take inspiration from his composition techniques and consideration, - "you don't take a photo, you make it" (Adams, 1960)
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