Balboa Park
I can't say I put a lot of effort into taking photo's on my holiday, to I am sure the horror of many. I was on holiday!!!! Is what I have to say about that. However, I did manage two infinitely inspiring exhibitions, Ansel Adams and lesser extent Richard Avedon.
The Avedon exhibition provided more than I had anticipated being rather unmoved by his work in general. This is not to say he is undeserving of his accolades, rather my tastes point me in other directions. However, this body of work was interesting none the less, due to the fact that it was in many ways political, showing a collection of various portraits of politically and socially influential people. Images that are far less public than his more touted fashion portfolio.
As I made one particular discovery a question that will go unanswered, as he is no longer among the living, began to formulate. Did he ever get tired of his photographic formula?
His signature, white background portraiture's, stylized and yet muddy, with a sense of high contrast in everything except the confines of the object photographed. Here the grey's while detailed not quite so high in contrast as the stark white background. I marveled at his ability to take a simple human, stand them in front of a white, occasionally black, background and with what seemed little effort make them speak. Eventually though I grew bored with the overall. Not so much as I think he was wrong to stick to this signature, more that I personally have issues with repetition in my own life and was both confused by and in awe that a person could work with the same structure for so many years. It made me uncomfortable some how. Boredom, repetition, all things I struggle with in my daily life, thus his work provoked personal reflections photographic and otherwise. It gave me a feeling of is this it, shouldn't there be more, more growth? Maybe that isn't necessary or maybe it just isn't for us the viewer to know what kind of growth he experienced or sought. If nothing else he made me think and isn't that sort of the point.
I was however vary happily surprised by discovering he had an unique ability to cut people in the most unconventional ways in his group photo's. Whoever would be found to the far left or far right of the group would inevitably be cut out in what appeared haphazardly. Upon closer study of his group images it began to become apparent that there was nothing random about it. He broke the rules and he did it with immense skill. I just can't put my finger on what made it work compsitionally. It shouldn't have worked, yet it did and without it these images would have been mundane. This is the essence of photography, an key element that is so hard to teach and exactly what I wish I could share and dissect more clearly with others.
I think what in part made Avedon the success that he was is that he went away from the conventional fashion photography dominating the scene at the time. He roughened it up and made it a bit more human. That in itself demands great respect. There is nothing that will bore me more than adherence to trend.
Ansel Adams
This is where the serious inspiration was found. Ansel Adams was a true craftsmen! There is so much to say I honestly don't know where to start in fear of rambling and doing him a great disservice.
His prints were so utterly beautiful! I can never stress enough how important it is to see a hand printed image by a master with your own eyes. This is what will teach you the true magic of photography.
While Photoshop provides all the technical ability necessary to make a flawless print I have yet to see anything photoshopped that can even remotely compete. Ironically, while I marvel, drool and worship the perfect hand print, I find photoshopped images too refined, too clean, too perfect, too repeatable. In this photoshopped perfection there is a gross lacking that occurs. I guess it is something akin to plastic surgery, aesthetic but impersonal. (No offense I photoshop too.) I realized, as I looked at his work breathing in and holding my breath, that all I ever want in my career is to make one master print, then I can quite and quite with a smile on my face. Then I realize I will probably not succeed, not in this lifetime. Forgive me if I am starting to sound religious.
Ansel Adams aim was less to interpret, more to recreate that moment in time on film and in print. He did so masterfully. Adams was the true documenterer of landscape. I have never seen anyone who can make each layer, each detail become so vital, singularly important and utterly harmonious. My inner voice screams clouds! Clouds! Clouds! Clouds!
The coolest and most interesting detail of the exhibition is an example of his dedication to a singular image-Moonrise, taken in New Mexico in 1941.
It took Ansel Adams more than 30 years to finally achieve the print he had envisioned. He was forced to wait for photographic technology to advance thus giving him the tools he needed to make the print he was seeking. There are 3 versions of the Moonrise print made approximately a decade apart, each image showing a significant difference in the sky and the clouds. These images were on display next to each other clearly illustrating the difference in print and his dedication to a singular image. As I looked at them I fanatsized about buying them so that I can use them in my curriculum, there is no better model! Little did I know that Moonrise is one of his most celebrated and sought after prints going for a mere $80,000 at auction. I guess I'll stick to the postcard version.
Back to my point! This is why I say never throw away a negative or neglect going back through your archives. You never know what time, technology, life experience or the past will do for your photographic perception.
While I will have to wait a few more years before I can purchase an Ansel original I was able to manage a PBS documentary about his life and career, full of more quotes than I can keep up with requiring many hours of repeated viewing.
http://www.anseladams.com/content/ansel_info/ansel_ancedotes.html
I think it is indeed time to move back into the darkroom!
The Avedon exhibition provided more than I had anticipated being rather unmoved by his work in general. This is not to say he is undeserving of his accolades, rather my tastes point me in other directions. However, this body of work was interesting none the less, due to the fact that it was in many ways political, showing a collection of various portraits of politically and socially influential people. Images that are far less public than his more touted fashion portfolio.
As I made one particular discovery a question that will go unanswered, as he is no longer among the living, began to formulate. Did he ever get tired of his photographic formula?
His signature, white background portraiture's, stylized and yet muddy, with a sense of high contrast in everything except the confines of the object photographed. Here the grey's while detailed not quite so high in contrast as the stark white background. I marveled at his ability to take a simple human, stand them in front of a white, occasionally black, background and with what seemed little effort make them speak. Eventually though I grew bored with the overall. Not so much as I think he was wrong to stick to this signature, more that I personally have issues with repetition in my own life and was both confused by and in awe that a person could work with the same structure for so many years. It made me uncomfortable some how. Boredom, repetition, all things I struggle with in my daily life, thus his work provoked personal reflections photographic and otherwise. It gave me a feeling of is this it, shouldn't there be more, more growth? Maybe that isn't necessary or maybe it just isn't for us the viewer to know what kind of growth he experienced or sought. If nothing else he made me think and isn't that sort of the point.
I was however vary happily surprised by discovering he had an unique ability to cut people in the most unconventional ways in his group photo's. Whoever would be found to the far left or far right of the group would inevitably be cut out in what appeared haphazardly. Upon closer study of his group images it began to become apparent that there was nothing random about it. He broke the rules and he did it with immense skill. I just can't put my finger on what made it work compsitionally. It shouldn't have worked, yet it did and without it these images would have been mundane. This is the essence of photography, an key element that is so hard to teach and exactly what I wish I could share and dissect more clearly with others.
I think what in part made Avedon the success that he was is that he went away from the conventional fashion photography dominating the scene at the time. He roughened it up and made it a bit more human. That in itself demands great respect. There is nothing that will bore me more than adherence to trend.
Ansel Adams
This is where the serious inspiration was found. Ansel Adams was a true craftsmen! There is so much to say I honestly don't know where to start in fear of rambling and doing him a great disservice.
His prints were so utterly beautiful! I can never stress enough how important it is to see a hand printed image by a master with your own eyes. This is what will teach you the true magic of photography.
While Photoshop provides all the technical ability necessary to make a flawless print I have yet to see anything photoshopped that can even remotely compete. Ironically, while I marvel, drool and worship the perfect hand print, I find photoshopped images too refined, too clean, too perfect, too repeatable. In this photoshopped perfection there is a gross lacking that occurs. I guess it is something akin to plastic surgery, aesthetic but impersonal. (No offense I photoshop too.) I realized, as I looked at his work breathing in and holding my breath, that all I ever want in my career is to make one master print, then I can quite and quite with a smile on my face. Then I realize I will probably not succeed, not in this lifetime. Forgive me if I am starting to sound religious.
Ansel Adams aim was less to interpret, more to recreate that moment in time on film and in print. He did so masterfully. Adams was the true documenterer of landscape. I have never seen anyone who can make each layer, each detail become so vital, singularly important and utterly harmonious. My inner voice screams clouds! Clouds! Clouds! Clouds!
The coolest and most interesting detail of the exhibition is an example of his dedication to a singular image-Moonrise, taken in New Mexico in 1941.
It took Ansel Adams more than 30 years to finally achieve the print he had envisioned. He was forced to wait for photographic technology to advance thus giving him the tools he needed to make the print he was seeking. There are 3 versions of the Moonrise print made approximately a decade apart, each image showing a significant difference in the sky and the clouds. These images were on display next to each other clearly illustrating the difference in print and his dedication to a singular image. As I looked at them I fanatsized about buying them so that I can use them in my curriculum, there is no better model! Little did I know that Moonrise is one of his most celebrated and sought after prints going for a mere $80,000 at auction. I guess I'll stick to the postcard version.
Back to my point! This is why I say never throw away a negative or neglect going back through your archives. You never know what time, technology, life experience or the past will do for your photographic perception.
While I will have to wait a few more years before I can purchase an Ansel original I was able to manage a PBS documentary about his life and career, full of more quotes than I can keep up with requiring many hours of repeated viewing.
http://www.anseladams.com/content/ansel_info/ansel_ancedotes.html
I think it is indeed time to move back into the darkroom!
posted by Stinkbugphoto at
9:10 AM
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