Ansel Adams:Maroon Bells

[Sirius Glass]

https://www.anseladams.com/maroon-bells/

 

[Pieter12]

Sorry, Ansel. The Maroon Bells really need to be shot in color, in the fall with all the aspen leaves turned bright yellow.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

That image is on the cover of a book I have of his. I'd love to see a print of it in person.

 

[markjwyatt]

Sorry, Ansel. The Maroon Bells really need to be shot in color, in the fall with all the aspen leaves turned bright yellow.

During our famous "superbloom" season in 2019, I went outand took a lot of pictures with B&W film. I did take some token color ones, too, but put most of my effort into B&W: https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=157638541@N07&view_all=1&text=superbloom

 

[gone]

I wonder what lens he used for this? The shot looks very compressed, as if it had been shot w/ a long lens.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I wonder what lens he used for this? The shot looks very compressed, as if it had been shot w/ a long lens.

I'm wondering if it's a 12" Goertz Dagor...

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Actually, he probably used a longer lens than the 12".

 

[markjwyatt]

Actually, he probably used a longer lens than the 12".

Looks like he was in the middle of the lake. I was guessing a long lens too.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Looks like he was in the middle of the lake. I was guessing a long lens too.

He must have, as he would have shot from opposite side of the lake. I wonder what his longest lens was for 8x10. If I went there, to shoot from his tripod holes, I'd probably have to bring along my Fujinon 600C.

 

[MarkS]

Adams famously used a Cooke XV, a convertible lens. He used the 24" component to photograph the famous "Moonrise over Hernandez, NM". So it's quite possible that he used a long lens for the "Maroon Bells" image. I should look in my copy of "Examples" to see if that picture is included... if so we'll have all the technical details.

 

[markjwyatt]

He must have, as he would have shot from opposite side of the lake. I wonder what his longest lens was for 8x10. If I went there, to shoot from his tripod holes, I'd probably have to bring along my Fujinon 600C.

He may have had a vantage point above the lake surface plus a long lens. Not sure what lenses were likely.

 

[awty]

The clouds make it too busy, see he cropped them to the bare minimum... but still

 

[DREW WILEY]

I've always thought that particular AA image was a bit over the top; busy indeed. But it's a hard image to miss in that neck of the woods during a snowfall. I tried to abstract it a little more by making aspens in front a lot more dominant; but that was early on when I really didn't understand black and white shooting and printing sufficiently. From the lake you'd take in that scene with just something slightly longer than normal; a 600 would be way too long and tight even on 8x10 format. I vaguely recall using a 450 for 8x10. Too postcardy for me, regardless. Doubt I'll ever go back there again.

As far as superblooms go, yes, I went to see the last one on the Carizzo; and it's a remarkable sight just to experience. But photographically speaking, I've done far better color work there somewhat off season, when subtle patterns of color saturation were highly modulated by dominant neutrals. Too much color at once just discounts the whole - kinda like eating honey and jam atop sugar cubes - you're taste buds just go numb. But that's what seemingly everyone wants to do these days, just let it all hang out, with no sense of balance or reserve. I'd love to go to the Carrizo right now for sake of all the subtle drought coloration. But that whole region is currently prone to dust storms, and some of the worst kind of dust, laden with Valley Fever spores, a potentially debilitating lung disease. I once had it, and it is indeed something you don't want to mess with.

 

[mrosenlof]

I strongly disagree that Maroon Bells need to be photographed in color, the AA photo linked by the OP is evidence of this. There are more than one "right" way to approach a subject.

I've been to this site. AA was probably using a long lens here. He could well have been at the same spot where all the photographers line up at sunrise, but that photo is closer to mid morning or even noon guessing by the light.

 

[markjwyatt]

...As far as superblooms go, yes, I went to see the last one on the Carizzo; and it's a remarkable sight just to experience. But photographically speaking, I've done far better color work there somewhat off season, when subtle patterns of color saturation were highly modulated by dominant neutrals. Too much color at once just discounts the whole - kinda like eating honey and jam atop sugar cubes - you're taste buds just go numb. ...

That is why B&W works too:


California Poppys by Mark Wyatt, on Flickr

 

[DREW WILEY]

Well, yes indeed ... I always have black and white film along too. In fact that's mostly what I shoot when there. No crowds either, another plus. Almost uninhabited at night except during a superbloom, and even then almost everyone is gone by evening. A crowd in the Carrizo is six people on the same square mile.

 

[jvo]

Boy would it be great to see a print of this... 16x20 - probably breathtaking. Thanks.

 

[pentaxuser]

I can see a very clear face in the biggest of the three bells and the scene makes b&w fine for it but if the bells are of a striking maroon colour then it seems to me that particular colour is largely lost in a b&w shot

pentaxuser

 

[DREW WILEY]

Depends what you are trying to achieve. If texture and contrast are your main objective, then a green filter and panchromatic film will deepen the maroon or mauve of the sedimentary rock layers and make snow details more evident, as well as bare aspens in the foreground later in the season. Not everyone wants a postcard look, especially of a potentially cliche view. Ansel was mainly a black and white photographer. He did some color work, but it was never really his forte.

What I remember was spending the night in the parking lot itself, and positioning my truck so that I could still get back out downhill in the morning after the ongoing snowfall. About half a foot came down that night. The moon eventually came out,
and I was awakened by a red fox snooping around my tailgate. I turned on my flashlight and startled him. He took off so fast
that he somersaulted right over the guard rail, and splash-landed right in the lake itself. Sorry about that. But he got out fine, shook himself off, and ran away. I laughed pretty hard.

 

[reddesert]

In black and white, the striated patterns of the snow and rock on Maroon Peak are emphasized. This is an iconic feature of the sedimentary layers these mountains are built from, very different from the Sierra granite that we are more used to seeing in Adams's photographs.

I believe this view from the lake is looking southwest. From the shadows it's at least mid-morning - the sun is southeast but not super low. It's probably early in the summer, as even the south faces of the mountain (to the left) still hold a fair amount of snow. In 1951 when St Ansel made this photo, Aspen was still near the beginning of its journey from decrepit silver mining town to ski resort to playground for the rich. I'm sure this view was already well known, but it would have been nowhere near as photographed or as crowded with tourists as it is now.

 

[DREW WILEY]

The striated clouds on the upper right of AA's image are particularly effective at accentuating the overall layered and slightly down-slanted or tilted look of the mountain itself. The trees and lake balance the overall composition somewhat; but still, I find it rather busy and not poetically poised like many of his classic shots. Of course, he was no doubt doing the best he could with what he had to work with in front of him at the time. But not even Babe Ruth hit a home run every time. Depends on what gets pitched to you; and you either swing the bat or you don't.

My own token print of that scene is reasonably effective too; but I never deemed it worthy of being drymounted. Sometimes you just gotta swing the bat anyway, for sake of practice. It counts in the long run.