With a Nod to Ansel Adams

[EasternSierra]

I was blessed with the opportunity to go shooting with 3 other local photographers the other day. I don't have this opportunity most of the time. I usually just take my camera along when I go hiking with friends or my daughter. It was nice to be with a group of people that didn't question my absolute need to stand 5 feet to the right, or take the same shot 6 times before I finally "got" it. It helped me shoot more creatively.

Anyhow...while walking around at the base of the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains...in my backyard...it dawned on me that not long ago, Ansel Adams and John Muir were walking ni the same area, carrying cameras, and recording the beauty around them. So I flipped my camera to monotone, set up for the shot, and took my homage to the Photographic Genius that wandered in my backyard before me.



I don't claim to be half the photographer that Ansel Adams was. But I hope I was able to at least honour the Legacies of both him and these Mountains.

Thanks for looking!

ISO: 100
Focal Length: 24mm
Aperture: f/22
Shutter speed: 1/25

[maala]

I really liked the shot. I like how the dead tree in the foreground actually looked like it was touching the sky. The monotone makes the picture much more dramatic then it would have been in color. Great job.

[zona5101]

my goodness there is nothing like a well done B&W print...I can almost smell the fixer on my fingers...
I do miss the darkroom sometimes...

wonderful image.

[EasternSierra]

Originally Posted by zona5101

my goodness there is nothing like a well done B&W print...I can almost smell the fixer on my fingers...
I do miss the darkroom sometimes...

wonderful image.

Yes, as do I. I used to LOVE wasting countless hours destroying skin and brain cells in a darkroom processing images. I am VERY greatful for the ease with which we can process our own images today, and of course with the size and weight of our equipment but...I can't help but miss the intimacy of working the image through the entire chemical process of development.

C'est la vie...we move forward. Thanks for the input!

[Gonzo13]

It looks like you had a great day for being out taking pictures. That is a nice photo, exellent choice of the B&W. I feel your pain about going out with people that don't understand the photography process and I do remember dark rooms and processing B&W photos. It was always interesting.

[BryanC]

Originally Posted by EasternSierra

Yes, as do I. I used to LOVE wasting countless hours destroying skin and brain cells in a darkroom processing images. I am VERY greatful for the ease with which we can process our own images today, and of course with the size and weight of our equipment but...I can't help but miss the intimacy of working the image through the entire chemical process of development.

C'est la vie...we move forward. Thanks for the input!

But the spirit of the artistry and craftmanship from those days carry on in your digital image here...well done!

[emtab]

I will never forget the magic of the first time I watched a print appear in a tray of developer. So amazingly magical. Now, I watch prints appear out the business end of a printer.

Ahh, nostalgia. That being said, I can't say that I really miss the chemistry though. Remember the smell of rodinal?
emtab

[EasternSierra]

Originally Posted by BryanC

But the spirit of the artistry and craftmanship from those days carry on in your digital image here...well done!

Thank you VERY much for the comment. That was, afterall, my hope with this image. Even while selecting my filters, shooting through the zones for exposure, and processing my final shot...

[Mogen_david]

First of great image. You have captured an image with a nod to Ansel. It is a better image than I can do on a good day. Hell, even on a great day I'd be challenged to have seen this photo. So I shouldn't be critiquing but you put the photo in the critique section so I assume you want critique. You've gotten lots of compliments but little criticism. So I'll try.

The mountains in the background to the right aren't sharp and that small area of the photograph lack contrast. I'm not one to tell you how to fix it (a sharp filter and a mask with a bit of curves?). I don't think Ansel would object to a little digital manipulation after all his zone system involved developing different parts of his negative differently and with a bit of a mask you might be able to create the same effect. Bring sharpness to the entire photograph and remember the Group f.64.

And I'll bow out by saying once again that this is a great image. One I would likely overlook and if I did see the image I'd never get as close to capturing an image that evokes Ansel Adams as well as you have.

[EasternSierra]

Originally Posted by Mogen_david

First of great image. You have captured an image with a nod to Ansel. It is a better image than I can do on a good day. Hell, even on a great day I'd be challenged to have seen this photo. So I shouldn't be critiquing but you put the photo in the critique section so I assume you want critique. You've gotten lots of compliments but little criticism. So I'll try.

The mountains in the background to the right aren't sharp and that small area of the photograph lack contrast. I'm not one to tell you how to fix it (a sharp filter and a mask with a bit of curves?). I don't think Ansel would object to a little digital manipulation after all his zone system involved developing different parts of his negative differently and with a bit of a mask you might be able to create the same effect. Bring sharpness to the entire photograph and remember the Group f.64.

And I'll bow out by saying once again that this is a great image. One I would likely overlook and if I did see the image I'd never get as close to capturing an image that evokes Ansel Adams as well as you have.

Thank you for the input.

As for the sharpness on the right of the image...there isn't a whole lot that can be done about the sharpness or the cnotrast. It was actually raining at that end of the chain. That's what is causing the "haze" that makes it look soft and lack contrast...