Sometimes he was just lucky, and even more often, worked really really hard to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear negative.
Hard work. Good Luck. Right place at the right time. That's life! But your need the skills to take advantage.
I inherited on of those old Weston meters. It still "works". Pretty simple. Point it south, take a reading; point it north, take a reading; point it east, take a reading; point it west, take a reading. Average those, then write the number on a piece of paper and put in a boiling cauldron containing the eye of a newt, the toe of a frog, and the tongue of a dog. After twenty minutes, pull it out and read if you can what that says.
He had skills. But I don't think all this ballyhoo about previsualization is warranted. He snapped a lot of pictures just like the rest of us. But his followers make him seem like a mystical savant. If this negative was an example of his previsualization, I must be missing something. He knew that the moon is at "sunny 16" because it's in the sun. That's it.
The OP asked a simple question regarding AA's decision on a specific exposure. There's been some excellent discussion in response. Alas the thread has deteriorated into amateur photogs engaging in Ansel bashing. Perhaps you gentlemen would be so kind as to let us know when one of your prints sells for six figures. Because in the good old USA, a good photographer is one who makes a whole lot of money at it. Or at least, is exhibited in museums around the world.He had skills. But I don't think all this ballyhoo about previsualization is warranted. He snapped a lot of pictures just like the rest of us. But his followers make him seem like a mystical savant. If this negative was an example of his previsualization, I must be missing something. He knew that the moon is at "sunny 16" because it's in the sun. That's it.
He had skills. But I don't think all this ballyhoo about previsualization is warranted. He snapped a lot of pictures just like the rest of us. But his followers make him seem like a mystical savant. If this negative was an example of his previsualization, I must be missing something. He knew that the moon is at "sunny 16" because it's in the sun. That's it.
The OP asked a simple question regarding AA's decision on a specific exposure. There's been some excellent discussion in response. Alas the thread has deteriorated into amateur photogs engaging in Ansel bashing. Perhaps you gentlemen would be so kind as to let us know when one of your prints sells for six figures. Because in the good old USA, a good photographer is one who makes a whole lot of money at it. Or at least, is exhibited in museums around the world.
Among a recent collection of exposure meters one of the first Weston’s.
Previous owner scratched filter factors. It’s interesting to see the 3x isn’t two whole stops. I adjusted the dial to fit the discussion of Ansel Adams’ story.
Instead of 64 emulsion speed I set 50 to fit the famous “exposure formula” Ansel used which agrees with ASA speed but not Weston speed. Explanation: Square root of speed as the f/stop (64 -> f/8), shutter speed as the reciprocal of candles per square foot (moon luminance 250 -> 1/250), emulsion speed as needed to fit the formula…after setting the other values the Weston speed shown is 50.
Without the meter in hand, Ansel went (in his mind) from the 250 on the outer scale to 65 to “place” the moon’s luminance on Zone VI
He then opened two stops to adjust for the filter and arrived at one second. But shown here is 3x mark on 65. The recommended exposure is 4/5 second.
I never personally increased exposure one and two-thirds stops for a 3x filter. I always gave two stops. I think Ansel Adams did too.
View attachment 352362
Has anyone figured out the luminance of a spy balloon over Hernandez NM yet?
More like an evening scene, but still enough daylight for a blue sky capable of being darkened with a contrast filter. I've encountered nearly identical lighting, and even cloud formations, in the desert West, replete with a full rising moon too. Exposure? - a piece of cake with a 1 degree spot meter.
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