tyflier
[Insert Witty Commentary]
I live on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains...border of the Inyo National Forrest and John Muir Wilderness. Stomping grounds of Master Photographers like Ansel Adams, Galen Rowell, Jack Dykinga, and David Muensch. Home to some of the most breathtaking landscapes and vistas in the western U.S. My backyard...
The other day, I had an opportunity to walk around with 3 other local photographers. Sharing space, tips, and ideas with these folks brought me back to my high school days, and my photography courses. One of the most prolific photographers of the 20th century was Black and White GENIUS, Ansel Adams. Where do you think his favorite place to shoot was? You guessed it...my backyard. Some of his most Iconic and lasting images are of the Majestic Mountains that I call home.
While walking around with my camera in hand, I couldn't help but become nostalgic for the days when I used to play around in a darkroom for hours, trying top get a B&W print to come out "just right". Walking with my lightweight digital "kit", I couldn't help but harken back to the day when a camera outfit would way 40 pounds, and men like Adams would still trudge 30 miles from the nearest road to reach that spectacular vista.
So with all of this in mind, I flipped my camera to Monotone, and set forth to make a landscape shot that would pay homage to those Masters whose footsteps I was following in.
With this image, I tried my hardest to stay true to my roots of photography, and to compose and shoot in the manner of the masters. I used filters for contrast and exposure control. I shot through a series referred to as a "Zone System", in order to get the tone and dynamic range I was looking for. I composed, paying close attention to every object in my viewfinder, and with the urgency of exposing expensive 4X5" tin-plate negatives.
I don't claim to be even a fraction of the photographer that Ansel Adams was, and I doubt I ever will be. But I hope I have at least brought honour and respect to his memory, and homage to his artistry.
The other day, I had an opportunity to walk around with 3 other local photographers. Sharing space, tips, and ideas with these folks brought me back to my high school days, and my photography courses. One of the most prolific photographers of the 20th century was Black and White GENIUS, Ansel Adams. Where do you think his favorite place to shoot was? You guessed it...my backyard. Some of his most Iconic and lasting images are of the Majestic Mountains that I call home.
While walking around with my camera in hand, I couldn't help but become nostalgic for the days when I used to play around in a darkroom for hours, trying top get a B&W print to come out "just right". Walking with my lightweight digital "kit", I couldn't help but harken back to the day when a camera outfit would way 40 pounds, and men like Adams would still trudge 30 miles from the nearest road to reach that spectacular vista.
So with all of this in mind, I flipped my camera to Monotone, and set forth to make a landscape shot that would pay homage to those Masters whose footsteps I was following in.
With this image, I tried my hardest to stay true to my roots of photography, and to compose and shoot in the manner of the masters. I used filters for contrast and exposure control. I shot through a series referred to as a "Zone System", in order to get the tone and dynamic range I was looking for. I composed, paying close attention to every object in my viewfinder, and with the urgency of exposing expensive 4X5" tin-plate negatives.
I don't claim to be even a fraction of the photographer that Ansel Adams was, and I doubt I ever will be. But I hope I have at least brought honour and respect to his memory, and homage to his artistry.
