Interesting article on Ansel Adams' "Pure photography"

[snusmumriken]

Ansel's technique was just a means toward an end. I don't think his tool kit was even particularly fancy for his own day. Most commercial labs had way better equipment; and there were a number of color printmakers in his own neighborhood with way more darkroom tricks up their sleeves than him. Everything in "The Negative" and "The Print" is quite elementary anyway. I gave away my copies long ago.

I think this touches on the core of the issue. I've always been fascinated by the way really strong photos survive the worst travesties of picture editors, printers and online copying. Others are unremarkable until some beyond-Adams darkroom wizard works on them. Levoy et al are able to create automated processes that substitute for the wizard. Of course there will always be scope for choice, good taste and judgement, but doesn't it shift the emphasis of just where creativity begins and ends?

 

[faberryman]

Everything in "The Negative" and "The Print" is quite elementary anyway. I gave away my copies long ago.

I gave away my copies of The Negative and The Print long ago too. Sometimes when I look at my photographs I think maybe I should have kept them. Sometimes when I look at other people's photographs I think maybe I gave away my copies to the wrong people. I am not sure whether Drew or I gave away our copies earlier, so I don't know who should get the trophy. Anyway, I don't have time to worry about that now. The banjo festival starts next week and I have to arrange the hay bales. We are hoping Bela Fleck will be there.

 

[snusmumriken]

I gave away my copies of The Negative and The Print a long time ago too. Sometimes when I look at my photographs I think maybe I should have kept them. Sometimes when I look at other people's photographs I think maybe I gave away my copies to the wrong people.

So long as they don't feel you should have kept them!

 

[DREW WILEY]

Well, it would have been nice for those books to be returned, so that I could have loaned them out again to another beginner. But as far as the real "keeper" book as the companion to that set, I still have on the shelf, "Examples", which is mainly photo reproductions rather than text. Of course, I have certain big coffee-table books of AA too. But having seen so much of his work in person, and even having once shared a big retrospective with him, I rely mainly on memory concerning his actual print quality. Some of of my favorite images of his have rarely if ever been reproduced in book fashion.

Otherwise, I'm glad to have learned the Zone System, though it's now way behind in the rear view mirror. It remains in my tool box, somewhere down in there, if I ever need it. Zone-speak is also a helpful common-denominator lingo on forums like this one. It's certainly a lot more specific than simply referring to "pushing" or "pulling" film development. But there is no reason to make a kooky religion out of the Zone System, like Minor White did.

 

[Mike Lopez]

I gave away my copies of The Negative and The Print long ago too. Sometimes when I look at my photographs I think maybe I should have kept them. Sometimes when I look at other people's photographs I think maybe I gave away my copies to the wrong people. I am not sure whether Drew or I gave away our copies earlier, so I don't know who should get the trophy. Anyway, I don't have time to worry about that now. The banjo festival starts next week and I have to arrange the hay bales. We are hoping Bela Fleck will be there.

I'll be taking my daughter to Nashville for the first time this summer. We're going to take in Brandi Carlile and The Indigo Girls. We're both excited.

 

[faberryman]

I'll be taking my daughter to Nashville for the first time this summer. We're going to take in Brandi Carlile and The Indigo Girls. We're both excited.

Brandi Carlisle is of course an incredible talent, and you are sure to have a great experience with your daughter at the concert.

 

[jtk]

Well, it would have been nice for those books to be returned, so that I could have loaned them out again to another beginner. But as far as the real "keeper" book as the companion to that set, I still have on the shelf, "Examples", which is mainly photo reproductions rather than text. Of course, I have certain big coffee-table books of AA too. But having seen so much of his work in person, and even having once shared a big retrospective with him, I rely mainly on memory concerning his actual print quality. Some of of my favorite images of his have rarely if ever been reproduced in book fashion.

Otherwise, I'm glad to have learned the Zone System, though it's now way behind in the rear view mirror. It remains in my tool box, somewhere down in there, if I ever need it. Zone-speak is also a helpful common-denominator lingo on forums like this one. It's certainly a lot more specific than simply referring to "pushing" or "pulling" film development. But there is no reason to make a kooky religion out of the Zone System, like Minor White did.

Just my perspective, from many friendships with Minor White's students...but I don't think Minor or any of them "made a kooky religion" out of Zone System. Many spent time engaged in Zen and even Roman Catholicism. (like Minor did).

 

[DREW WILEY]

I'm convinced he was the same person as the nutty professor in "Back to the Future". But he sure made some compelling prints, in spite of himself.

 

[JNP]

a rubber.

Thanks should read R U B E

 

[Sirius Glass]

He is as knowledgeable as anyone else who writes opinion articles on Internet forums and magazines. He knows exactly what he is talking about.

You have major logical and factual disconnects in your statement. Just because one writes internet opinion articles and magazines, does not in any way show or imply that they know what they are writing or posting especially if they are spewing to earn money to cover their bills. Or as a sage once said many journalists are people who can write but never had an original thought in their life.

 

[Don_ih]

Or as a sage once said many journalists are people who can write but never had an original thought in their life.

That's a non sequitur.

Maybe what JNP (?) was suggesting was simply that the writer of the article wrote what he knows the reader wants to read. Or perhaps, as an opinion piece, it is just an opinion and the author would likely know his own opinion. There was nothing necessarily illogical in @JNP's statement.

 

[DREW WILEY]

I call it "filler". Not real content, just more spin of the same old thing over and over again.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Some filler I have read does not even deserve the filler category. Other filler covers what someone new to the field with be able to use to start building a foundation.

 

[Don_ih]

Filler:
How many Intro to Photography books were published between 1960 and 1990? There was practically nothing new to say in any of them. There's no reason internet posts or videos should be any different. You can stop reading or watching at any point (just like you didn't have to buy The Art of Color Photography when it came out).

 

[JNP]

That's a non sequitur.

Maybe what JNP (?) was suggesting was simply that the writer of the article wrote what he knows the reader wants to read. Or perhaps, as an opinion piece, it is just an opinion and the author would likely know his own opinion. There was nothing necessarily illogical in @JNP's statement.

Maybe the sun is over the yard arm.

 

[jnamia]

I know I posted this link, but should we pay attention to him but perhaps refer to art historians instead? Levoy is after all more of an engineer and not and artist nor an art historian.

im a trained art and architectural historian ... and I think the author or the article is completely correct. that's not to say that people who practice "f64 straight pure photography don't have style" the look they are attempting to achieve with everything being in focus and hyper reality is their style. they were "digital" before digital ... and if they cry "no manipulation" they are ignoring most of what they do.

Levoy’s thought process can certainly be applied to digital photography but can be extended even to film photography. Different films provide different looks to the same scene, lending credence to the idea that all forms of photography can be considered under his argument.

in complete agreement, and he's forgetting developers and papers as well. not sure it matters though, because people who use film and are great at this style will take offense to what he said as if his comments are a slight upon their style and photographic practice. I find no difference between film photography and digital photography, they are pretty much the same thing, light sensitive medium, indexed something, and someone changing what was on the film or file ( either before or after ) to get what they want .. dark room prints and digital prints are sometimes indistinguishable, sometimes they are even better. sometimes worse, and under glass not sure why it matters other than bragging rights sometimes .. not saying making pure photographs isn't fun, I guess it is, but so is everything else..