[Leica] A bias when collecting photographs

[Frank Filippone]

The 8x10 prints (actually 7 1/2 x 9 1/2) were all printed by Alan 
Ross.... Who I got to meet several years ago...  These prints are called 
" Ansel Adams Yosemite Special Edition" prints.   They are all marked as 
such.

The story is that Alan was a employee of Adams, and when he wanted to 
leave, he either negotiated or was given the exclusive rights to print 
some./ many / a few of Ansel's negatives.  All were the same size.

Over the years, i was able to buy a few (at $20 or so each, even as a 20 
something, they were affordable).  I think they sell for $125 now.... 
maybe more?  ( I checked... $350 each!)

Anyway, the prints were made by Alan Ross.  I had heard that he had made 
a copy negative that was perfect... no burn in no dodging, just a 
straight print from this special constructed negative....

When I met Alan, I asked him about the story.... he told me that there 
was no copy negative, that the prints were all made form Ansel's 
original negative, complete with him following Adams's instructions on  
dodging and burn in.  Individually printed.  ( however, in production, 
one after the other).

That's the story..... Fact?  Fiction? Protective of his position and income?

I will never know.....  But the story is one I iwill always cherish.... 
Ross is a really nice gent.

Frank Filippone

On 5/3/2020 1:54 PM, Don Dory via LUG wrote:
> Hi Richard,  I am not sure that you would call silver prints coming out of
> the Ansel Adams gallery copies.  Adams hired people to print his negatives
> to an exact written procedure and they were clearly marked as to who took
> the image(Adams) and who printed it.  Not as valuable as a print by the
> master but still a very faithful example of what Adams envisioned when he
> took and printed the image.  When I was in Yosemite many years ago now 8x10
> contact prints were pretty reasonable.
>
> On Sun, May 3, 2020 at 3:46 PM Richard Man <richard at richardman.photo> wrote:
>
>> Oh yes, I just finally bought a print of Moonrise. I have seen many silver
>> gelatin copies in galleries and museums, including 24x30 and larger. This
>> $30 poster is definitely more than good enough.
>>
>> On Sun, May 3, 2020 at 1:38 PM Richard Man <richard at imagecraft.com> wrote:
>>
>>> For you personally, I don't see any problem with having a bias. It's just
>>> what you prefer. No one should dictate whether you should eat sushi or a
>>> hamburger right? ;-)
>>>
>>> Galleries that cater to "dead old photographers" still prefer silver
>>> gelatin prints. It has a certain cachet that might or might not be there.
>>>
>>> OTOH, I am now printing mostly on "fine arts" paper, mostly on kozo and
>>> washi, and have gone way past "silver gelatin".
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sat, May 2, 2020 at 8:59 AM Richard Clompus via LUG <
>>> lug at leica-users.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I’ve purchased fine art photographs from galleries over the years from
>>>> photographers that have excited me.  Usually they are from photographers
>>>> that I read about during my college years.   I’d love to have a silver
>>>> halide print from Henri Cartier-Bresson or Eugene Smith but at $30,000
>> USD,
>>>> they are out of my league and only a dream.
>>>>
>>>> Even though there are really nice looking fine art b&w prints from ink
>>>> jet pigments, I somehow don’t give them as much respect as a silver
>>
>
-- 
Frank Filippone BMWRed735i at gmail.com