Digital BW, The Print

>organized and
>refined by him with Minor White (co->creator of "Zone System" and IMO
>better photographer and teacher from >important perspectives)..

White wasn't a "co-creator" of the zone system. Adams and Fred Archer 
"created" the zone system  in 1941-1942 as a teaching aide for their 
students. White didn't even learn the zone system much less participate in 
its "creation" until 1946 when he moved to California to teach under Adams.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Djon" <westsidemaurice@...>
To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2005 8:49 AM
Subject: Re: [Digital BW] For You Ansel Adams Fans


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Steve Kale
<stevekale@b...> wrote:
> I'd go one step further.  Not only did he have vision as to the
final image
> but he had an enormous understanding of the technical requirements
of his
> chosen mode of expression.  Witness the interview when he talks
about having
> to calculate the exposure for that capture.  One must not only
have a flair
> or taste for what is a good image -  a critic has these qualities.

Not quite. Critics can be valuable but they are analysts and
talkers, not doers.

Ansel's "calculations" are traditional process,  organized and
refined by him with Minor White (co-creator of "Zone System" and IMO
better photographer and teacher from important perspectives)... not
to mention other people who used and mentored the same techniques
without popularising them.

  One must
> also have a true understanding of the technical requirements and
limitations
> involved in bringing that vision to reality.  As he stressed
repeatedly,
> skill at both is required of a good photographer.

Not true at all.

Ansel learned, helped organize, and taught *a possible approach to a
narrow range of photography.* There are/were many other "good
photographers" (his equals) who didn't/don't: people like Henri
Cartier Bresson, Joseph Muench, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon and,
more recently, Sebastio Salgado...obvious examples.

Ansel was important as a teacher within one narrow genre, as
important for his support of the Sierra Club and its members
enthusiasm for the Sierra Nevada Mts and environmentalism generally.

He was very analytic, lacking broad interests and emotional
complexity IMO. He didn't appreciate the excitement of his home town
in his youth (San Francisco), the greatest music of his own youth
(jazz), never explored color photography to anything like the depth
of his peers.

He was a fine portrait photographer (IMO should have done more) and
did good industrial work. He was very successful selling prints and
reproduction rights, from the early Sixties (eg "Half Dome" Hills
Brothers 5# coffee cans that seemed to grow marijuana seedlings in
every kitchen window in Northern California).

>





Please visit the Group Homepage to check the Files, and other resources as 
they are often being updated.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint

If you wish to receive no emails or just a daily digest, or you wish to 
unsubscribe, please edit your Membership preferences by visiting this same 
page.

Please follow these basic guidelines:
- As threads develop, trim off excess portions of earlier messages to keep 
them short.
- Good manners are required at all time. No personal attacks or flames. 
Hostile, aggressive or argumentative users may be removed from the 
membership without notice.
- Keep your posts and threads related to the group topic of digital B&W 
printing. Users who persistently make off-topic posts may be removed from 
the membership.
- By posting on this forum you agree to abide by the group rules and 
guidelines, and to abide by the actions and decisions of the group Owner and 
Moderators. See "Group Topic, Rules and Guidelines" in the Files section:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint/files/

BY PARTICIPATING IN AND/OR POSTING MESSAGES TO THE DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT 
YAHOO! GROUP YOU EXPRESSLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT THE "OWNER" AND 
"MODERATORS" OF DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU 
FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR EXEMPLARY 
DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, 
GOODWILL, USE, DATA OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES (EVEN IF THE  "OWNER" AND 
"MODERATORS" OF DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE 
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES), RESULTING FROM: (i) THE USE OR THE INABILITY 
TO USE THE DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP; (ii) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR 
ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR DATA; (iii) STATEMENTS OR CONDUCT OF ANY 
THIRD PARTY ON THE DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP; OR (iv) ANY OTHER 
MATTER RELATING TO THE DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP.

Yahoo! Groups Links