Ansel Adams exhibition in London

[Ian]

There is a video clip about a new Ansel Adams exhibition in Greenwich, London, on the BBC website. It's a nicely produced clip but with a few exceptions I am rather underwhelmed by the works showcased from the iconic Adams. See:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20304829

The f/64 group is interesting - of course they were all using plate cameras so f/64 was needed to moderate the slim depth of field normally afforded by such cameras. Maybe Ansel Adams would have been at home with smartphone!

I'd be interested to know what you think.

Ian

[Patrick]

Re: Ansel Adams exhibition in London

There is a video clip about a new Ansel Adams exhibition in Greenwich, London, on the BBC website. It's a nicely produced clip but with a few exceptions I am rather underwhelmed by the works showcased from the iconic Adams. See:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20304829

The f/64 group is interesting - of course they were all using plate cameras so f/64 was needed to moderate the slim depth of field normally afforded by such cameras. Maybe Ansel Adams would have been at home with smartphone!

I'd be interested to know what you think.

Ian

Hi Ian

I can understand you being underwhelmed by the images showcased, but have you seen the prints themselves? Some of the images featured are new to me but I have seen at a small print exhibition of Ansel Adams work a few years ago in the Walsall Art Gallery. That is the way in my opinion to see his work to fully apreciate it, on the wall rather than reproduced.
You may very well change your opinion on seeing the exhibition proper.

One friend of mine is not a fan of Adams work saying its technically perfect but lacks emotion, a subjective piont of view but possibly an accurate one. What do you or other forum members think?

Patrick

[patmoore]

Re: Ansel Adams exhibition in London

I had the opportunity to view an exhibition of his work at the Shelburne Museum in Vermont a couple of years ago. They were large images so I'm assuming they were reproductions. Some were extraordinary but some others were unexciting. I'm glad I went as it gave me the opportunity to visit the rest of Shelburne - well worth the visit.

[Ian]

Re: Ansel Adams exhibition in London

I will hopefully see the exhibition and completely expect the prints to be much better in real life

Ian

[Patrick]

Re: Ansel Adams exhibition in London

I will hopefully see the exhibition and completely expect the prints to be much better in real life

Ian

Other than the two photo clubs that I am a member, I am also a member of a photo group IMPS, we are going to organize a trip to the exhibition.

As a matter of interest the group, Independent Midlands Photographer's is quite different to the club world. We take along picture for discussion, on occasion have a guest speaker heading the discussion. Projects are encouraged. We have no competitions. We arrange outings such as exhibitions and photo shoots.
Anyone interested please send private email for details, we currently meet Saturdays once a month in Cannock Library Staffordshire. We have a meeting this week 10:00 to about 2 or 3:00

Patrick

[yoshi]

Re: Ansel Adams exhibition in London

Being a landscaper, I once read his books quite often. When I had no time of going out for shooting in younger days, then I liked to open one of his books and glance the photos repeatedly. One of my important books related to photography.

I too hope I will be able to have a look at raw printings somewhere.
yoshi

[John Perriment]

Re: Ansel Adams exhibition in London

I think that we need to recognise that Ansel Adams is from a different era, when the American wilderness was not so accessible as it is today and the large format cameras typically used by landscapers were unwieldly and demanding in discipline and technique. It was a challenge just to get a technically perfect photograph, let alone one that conveyed an emotional response to the subject. Indeed, in those days the work of Adams and others from the f64 group would have been sufficiently oriiginal to most viewers not to need anything beyond a record of what was in front of the lens. I think if Adams was alive today and sent out with a modern DSLR we would see work from him of an entirely different nature.