c6h6o3
Member
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2002
- Messages
- 3,215
- Format
- Large Format
I was shocked at how terrible the tones were. Yes, that had very deep blacks, but the large prints just had no life to them. Then I noticed a hallway in a balcony where there was a row of his contact prints. I was blown away. I do not believe I have ever seen any prints more beautiful than those contact prints.
This parallels my experience exactly. The photograph that inspired me to get a bigger camera and begin contact printing is Adams' portrait of E. Weston under the eucalyptus tree where he's sitting among the roots. I saw an 8x10 contact print of this picture at the National Portrait Gallery about 15 years ago. I've never seen it again anywhere. I was dumbstruck.
A few years later the NPG put up the Friends of Photography restrospective which included a 16x20 enlargement of that negative (printed by A. Adams, of course). Horrible. That soured me on Adams forever. Every time I see any enlargement by Ansel Adams I like them less and less.
If you ever get a chance to see his contact prints, which is how he did almost everything before 1940, don't pass it up. They're some of the most beautiful photographs ever made.