Re: Adams

[Alfred Breull <puma@hannover.sgh-net.de>]

Eric, and other Adams's enthusiasts,

I agree, that the MF "moon and half dome" (MF, 4/250 Sonnar) belongs to his
extraordinary pix. 

But, "Alfred Stieglitz, an American place" (Contax, 50 mm Tessar) is a
typical rigid or black Summicron picture at f 2 or 2.8. It's a nice pic, but
not so extraordinary as his other (LF) pix. And, I dare to say, if you're
into b/w, you have several of that type in your own files. Because the
Summicron creates them for you ... 

The "Farmer Family" (4x5, 127 mm) has a better total composition than
"Martha Porter, Pioneer Woman" (MF, 80 mm) or "Jacques-Henri Lartigue" (MF,
120 mm). But I admit also, that "Carolyn Anspacher" (4x5", 300 mm) is (far)
worse than the Stieglitz protrait - it reminds me on a close-up protrait of
an egg.

Different, the protrait of "Georgia O'Keefe and Orville Kox" (Contax, 50 mm)
belongs to his good pictures, and shows the same fingerprint as "Church and
Road" (4x5"), "Aspens" (8x10), or "The Black Sun" (13x18 cm Linhof) ... but
still not as spectacular as e.g. "Moonrise" (8x10).

Respectfully,
Alf (adoring Adam's work also)

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
At 23:12 29.10.1997 -0600, you wrote:
>At 04:30 PM, you wrote:
>
>>He brings beautiful images back that we ooh and ahh over, but, good as 
>>they are, Ansel's are better. With our convenient archive of Ansel's 
>>original work here at the Center for Creative Photography at the 
>>University of Arizona campus, it gives us the opportunity to compare 
>>side by side. *This* is why I'm all agog over Ansel!
>
>A historian once said Ansel will be considered one of the top 10-12 artists
>(not photographers!) of the 20th Century. With time, I think most people
>will realize the value of his work that transcends technique,
>environmentalism, art and the total buffoonery of his detractors.
>==========