Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/04/22

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Subject: Re: [Leica] RE: RE: Ansel Adams on PBS TV
From: Pete Su <psu@kvdpsu.org>
Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 22:13:24 -0400

I find it to be hard to evaluate Ansel Adam's photographs on their own 
terms, because he has been such a huge influence on photography as a 
whole, and landscape photography in particular. So many people make 
images that are in the "Ansel Adams Mode" that it's sort of like 
listening to Charlie Parker and trying to remember why he was so 
revolutionary in his time.

I think this makes it easier to dismiss his work as merely a technical 
tour de force.

But, I think that ultimately he did what Mr. Brick said. He captured 
images of something that he cared deeply about that are able to 
communicate not only what the place looked like, but WHY he thought the 
place was so compelling. This is never as easy as it seems to be. And, 
it's all you can really ask a photographer to do, IMHO.

The real prints I've seen are also incredible. What a printer he was.

That said, I thought the documentary was a bit sentimental, and perhaps 
too concentrated on his landscape work as the be all and end all of his 
career. And, I didn't like the panning and scanning over the photographs.

Pete

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