Reflect on your visit to the Museum of Fine Arts and the Ansel Adams photo exhibit. Which "text" stood out to you? Why? How are these photos writing the environment? What are they saying?
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Reflect on your visit to the Museum of Fine Arts and the Ansel Adams photo exhibit. Which "text" stood out to you? Why? How are these photos writing the environment? What are they saying?
Today, at the ansel adams exihibit, i was suprised by the quality of his photography. I was struck by the fact that they were all black and white, when nature is usually full of colors and vivid details brought out by the colors in nature. Here i feel that the black and white helped capture the light in many of the photos and intrisically captured the beauty in the moment that he was seeing through his lens. He used pure visualization and recreated a sense of awe in the wilderness and gave me a sense he was trying to get a sense of preservation in the wilderness through his photos. There were two photos that stuck out to me, The moonrise, and the face of the half dome. These both emphasized dignity and respect for the granduer feeling of nature and were stunning shots. It made me feel so small and captured that momemt of clarity in what seemed the middle of nowhere.
I really enjoyed the Ansel Adams photo exhibit field trip. My parents have the Moon and Half Dome photo (http://www.anseladams.com/ProductImages/seps/05010117.jpg) in our house and I was surprised when I saw it in the museum because I didn’t know it was Ansel Adams. I really enjoyed all of his works and wish we could have spent a little more time reading the descriptions and taking in the detail. The text that stood out to me the most was one that the docent didn’t talk about, but caught my eye the second we walked in the room. Mount Williamson, The Sierra Nevada from Manzanar (http://www.masters-of-photography.com/images/full/adams/adams_clearing.jpg). I fell in love with this photograph for so many reasons. I really enjoy the lighting and how there are rays of sunlight clearly defined throughout the photograph. Had this photograph been in color, it would still be beautiful because of the angle but would not have caught my eye. The contrast throughout the picture is very vivid. I also like the way the clouds are sort of hiding behind the mountains and their white color is contrasting against them. What I like the most about this photograph is the angle Ansel Adams used to take this picture. The two big rocks directly in front of us are almost mimicking the shape of the mountains and because of the angle, they almost look bigger than the mountains. This photo is writing the environment by showing the intricate details of the rocks and the mountains and the relationship between the clouds and the mountains. This photo is showing the relationships within nature and how the rocks mimic the mountains. I love this photograph because there are so many details and relationships within the piece.
I have heard of Ansel Adam’s before but this was the first time I really got to his photographs (texts) up close. I’ve always loved black and white photos ever since I took photography in high school. Although sometimes it can take away from the beauty in color, it allows the viewer to let their imagination run wild and imagine what the image may have looked like if they were actually experiencing it first hand. Ansel Adams has a unique way of writing the environment, he writes the environment as if there was no corruption. He allows us to see the environment through his lens, rather then us actually going to these places and destroying them, or invading the beautiful land. These photographs or texts are saying that we should not be afraid of nature, but we should also be aware of just how powerful it can be. Ansel Adams captures the perfect moment, he allows us to see the calmness and serenity that nature has to offer.
The text that stood out the most to me was Sand Dunes, Death Valley National Monument, I’m not sure exactly why, I think it may have been the contrast in the shades of black and white, he didn’t alter these photos and its amazing to see such beauty. I imagined myself sitting on top of the sand dunes just meditating and praying for peace, it was a place to get away from everything, a place to relax and try to understand the world we are living in.
I have now seen the Ansel Adams exibit twice and have been in awe both times. I believe that Adams captures the graduer, fragility, and the true beauty of nature. One photograph that he is known for and one of my favorites is Monolith, Face of Half Dome. This photograph shows the detail of the rock and what it might be like if you were there taking the picture. Taking these photographs is his way of connecting to nature and showing what he experiences when he goes out into nature. Nature has so much to it, if you take a moment to look, observe, and enjoy what nature has to offer. Some of his pictures like Aspens looks very surreal to me. I can't believe by making the photograph black and white and using different camera techniques, he was able to take a photo so dramatic and eye catching. I think his photographs want people to realize how wonderful nature is and to appreciate it for what it provides. Also, hopefully influence people to want to preserve areas of nature so we can continue to observe beautiful places such as Yosemite. Adams is a great photographer and knows when and how to take pictures to capture what he wants.
The Museum of Fine Arts and the Ansel Adams photo exhibit allowed me to experience nature or the environment through art form. The black and white photos were amazing, and brought the images they captured to life. Ansel Adams could visualize the picture before he took and constructed the photo. This was so powerful was astonishing to me. This trip allowed me to appreciate nature and the artist. The picture of Ansel Adams’s that stood out to me was “Moonrise Hernando”. The tour guide explained that the photo was taken actually at four in the evening, and the object in the sky is not the moon, but actually the sun. The way Ansel Adams photographed the sky made it appear as though it was moving. The Sun looks small, and there is an intense blackness that sweeps above the clouds on the horizon. The houses in the field look as though nature has taken their toll on them. The grass seems endless in the distance, and the picture looks like a field. The image captures the beauty and extremeness of the sunset. It appears to me as though a storm is coming. The fascinating part about his work is he pictures the images and then creates takes photos until he captures one that resembles the one he pictured. I would never be able to do this. His work is powerful and truly does compliment nature’s best qualities. Each image was strong and captured my eye to nature. The way he manipulated certain areas of his paintings to stand out against the background allowed them to be observed in a different angle. It allowed them to be focused on separately from the background, but still in their natural environment. He played with different objects and made me able to observe them in a different lighting, color, and image than I would be able to on my own. I appreciated how he manipulated the viewer’s image of nature without destroying or harming it. The black and white photos give the picture a sense of importance, long lasting, and classiness. I enjoyed my visit to the Museum because I felt that I really appreciated nature through the eyes of another person.
When I took the black and white photography course over the summer, Professor Skinner showed us photographs of Ansel Adams specifically because of his use of light. In every one of his photographs I saw at the exhibit, I could see with even greater detail how he used it. He used it to create emphasis on domes, mountains, trees, leaves. My favorite photography that Professor Skinner showed and Museum of Fine Arts exhibited is "Winter Sunrise." I love the story behind the photograph. He waited for hours for the light to be perfect and for the horse to come into profile.
It's also unique to note that Ansel Adams does not include animals into his landscape photography. I think he didn't include animals because they would be a distraction from the environment. He wants us to pay attention to where he is and why it is beautiful. Taking pictures of National Parks was the best way he could have captured the environment because they are preserved for the sake of preserving them. I think he realized how fast society was moving and how fast the environment was disappearing. His pictures remind us of a world that has many mysteries and beauties.
Ansel Adams was a name stuck somewhere in my concious mind, but beyond the name itself, i knew very little about him. I knew he was an artist of some kind, maybe i even recalled him being a photographer. I was very excited to go to the museum. I love both outdoor nature and photography. The fact that the pictures were in black and white completely added a new dimension to the pictures. As our tour guide pointed out, There was a sole picture in the exhibit that had color. As our tour guide pointed out, that one picture really detracts from the feeling the black and whites evoked. I (after our tour guide pointed out the same thought) now wish that picture was also in black and white. The color was almost distracting.
I can't recall the name of my favorite picture in the exhibit. But it was one of the first photos we saw. The huge river was the biggest thing that stood out in the picture. It was dark out and there was a large mountain to the left of the large, vast river. I am frequently pulled towards thing related or connected with water. This photo is writing the enviornment, so to speak, because it is showing the vast awe and complexity of the natural things of our world. The landscape speaks for itself.
I thought the Ansel Adams exhibit was a perfect way to spend the early afternoon in Saint Pete. I have always been a fan of outdoor and nature photography but especially Ansel Adams and his depiction of the American West. I have traveled to the West only a few times but i have dreamed about going back many times. I spent a large amount of time in Wyoming where i was hiking and climbing the Wind River Range which is south of the Teton mountains, the photograph Teton and the Snake River is an amazing photograph that i could look in to for hours but it still does little justice for the actual awesome sight of Grand Teton and the snow covered peaks. I brought up in class the other day the mindset of enjoying the works of Ansel Adams and other artists who focus on the outdoors, is it a guilty pleasure because we should be enjoying these gorgeous landscapes on our own or is it just an appreciation of nature. I think it is a little of both in that the black and white photo of Grand Teton is an awe inspiring photo, the actual sight is jaw dropping. But, i do like to be reminded of my past trips and dream about when i can go back. I think outdoor art in any form should be looked over and appreciated, but to fully grasp what the artist saw or felt when they built their masterpiece, you must go to the source and stare directly at that waterfall, or Bald Eagle, or Pinewood forest and take it all in with all of your senses. Only then can you fully grasp the art of nature.
Last year at Kent State University, I was minoring in photography, and I took a digital black and white class. We studied a variety of different photographers, one of which was Ansel Adams. We talked prominently about his use of texture. He focuses a lot of his photographs on reflections and shadows. When I saw the first colored photo as I walked around the exhibit I was appalled. Some ladies came in while we were looking at the exhibit and one said “Black and White, what a waist!” I wanted to slap her. She ran through the room and left not even appreciating how beautiful the black and white described the objects. I felt that going from black and white to color made the picture look as if it had no depth. It felt flat and lifeless. Had it been with a group of colored photos I’m sure I would have liked it a lot more. It was quite intriguing, the one red line. All of the photographs that weren’t Ansel Adams were noticeably different. The photographers focused on different aspects that they felt were important. The angles they chose, the softer shadows, the coloring, especially in black and white, were a much different style than Adams. My favorite photo was Aspen, New Mexico. Of the tree trunks in the background and then the glowing white tree in front. It caught my eye and I know that I felt more looking at the photo than I would have if I had seen it in real life.
A single print from a camera will remain forever silent. However, a print will also provoke endless scrutiny for a deeper explanation. Ansel Adams states, “A photograph is usually looked at - seldom looked into.” Photography is a very controversial form of art that provokes many questions about its meaning. It is very easy to glance at a photo and not realize that this picture is actually a performance that is being acted out. One photo in particular that stood out to me while visiting the Ansel Adams exhibit in St. Petersburg, Florida, was the Jeffrey Pine, Sentinel Dome. This was a photo showing a curving tree in Yosemite National Park. The tree looked like it was moving in the photograph due to its curving posture. I felt as though this was a good indication of how beautifully unique nature can be. Rare treasures like these can be found all around us if we only take the time to question whether or not there may be a hidden deeper implication. In nature many people miss the elaborate story that is continuously being told due to the fact that they are sleepwalking during our waking state. However, capturing these special moments in nature is a great start to inspiring the green thump in all of us.
I found Ansel Adams photographs to be beautiful. I have always been a fan of black and white photography, especially when nature is involved. I had never heard of Ansel Adams prior to this class. The picture that stood out most to me was entitled, "Jeffrey Pine, Sentinel Dome". This reminded me of Dali's painting, "Persistence of Memory". The tree has a surrealistic look to it and it just caught my eye.
The photos write the environment because they capture a small piece of the natural beauty we are surrounded with and in doing this other people are able to experience these places. This can help in conservation efforts by raising awareness of natural beauty that sometimes we don't get to see in the busy city life.
When we first walked into the exhibit I was really surprised because for some reason I had pictured big photographs with lots of green and colors, but they were all in black and white. For a second I was almost disappointed too, but after getting a closer look at the photographs that feeling quickly dissipated. I had many favorites but the first one that I really like was the Tetons and Snake River. I do not know particularly what it was but the photograph looked so inviting to me, as if it was saying, "come and explore." Perhaps the angle of the picture helped set this adventurous tone because of the way it wound into the distance, allowing you to envision this river of twists and turns. Also, the combination of the river and the way the light illuminated the mountains in the background reminded me of some sort of path to heaven, or happiness. In all I really enjoyed exploring this landscape even if I could not be there myself. The other photograph that struck out for me was the Aspens. I loved the way the one tree stood out against the sea of trees behind it. The contrast of the dark trees made them seem almost like one compared to this one very lit up tree that had defined leaves and curves to it. Even though it looked so alone and different there was something confident about the way it carried itself; perhaps because it was in front of the other trees and more attractive at first to the eye. For me Adams work has a way of bringing in the observer and instilling this curiosity in them about the place he photographed or about nature in general.
If I had to choose a favorite photograph from the Ansel Adams exhibit, it would be The Grand Tetons & Snake River. At first you can look at the image from far away and admire the way the Adams uses the river highlight dark and light areas of the photo. But the large scale allows the viewer to get closer and see the details of the photo - the individual trees and movement of the river. In this, it is almost as if we've stumbled on this amazing view with the clouds so undecided as to if they should rain on the mountains.
Ansel Adams' photographs show that there is so much beauty in the natural world and that when the timing is just right - when the light hits the trees a certain way and the clouds gather over the mountains it is possible to capture this moment and hold onto it forever. Ansel Adams' photos seem to stress how necessary it is to be patient when viewing nature. It may only be a few moments that nature will ever have all those certain aspects featured that particular way - in this way the photograph is unique to that moment in time. In this way, Ansel Adams uses photography to capture a split second frame of his experience, yet we get a sense of movement to his photos - we can imagine the river flowing and the clouds shifting.
Overall, Adams depicts nature in its purest state through his photography. Adams seems to emphasize the importance of the purity and absence of humans. Perhaps, Adams believes that when we look at nature, we must truly immerse ourselves in it, removing ourselves from human distractions.
I really enjoyed the Adams exhibit. My favorite photograph of his will always be the ever-popular Moon and Half Dome. I love the perspective it offers, this view of such an immense rock formation, dwarfed by the vastness of the universe, space, the moon high above. I like the sharpness of the black and white.
His photos are conveying a message of nature's beauty and our own smallness in comparison. He is illustrating the magnificence found in the natural world that surrounds us, incredibly grandeur without any help from human hands. He perpetuates the idea that nature simply "is," it exists, it goes on, whether we think about it or not.
Our trip to MFA was very insightful in that the docent showed us many different paintings, artifacts, and photographs that were either influenced, effected by, or interpretations of the environment. The docent, Marylee, also brought up a good point, that the museum is a completely controlled environment where nature is not. Therefore, artists who choose to have nature as their subject must be patient while they attempt to capture and represent the wonders of the natural world. Ansel Adams, a photographer who spent much time in nature, showed his appreciation through his lens. He created a mechanism called visualization, where he was able to see the picture in his mind before he captured it on film. His photos highlight nature’s beauty and mysticism. His photos are a way of writing the environment, because they can be used to inspire, educate, represent, and honor the natural environment. Through his technique of visualization, as well as his ability to use light as a dramatic technique (telling a story) are his tools as a so called “writer”. The pictures represent his vision, they tell a story, yet they do not interfere with nature. Instead, nature is the star, it comes first. His pictures seem to provide the reader with an escape. They also make the viewer stop and appreciate something that might have gone unseen. As I was talking to Professor Ramsey, she noted that she like a photo because it looks so fake, so perfect. Adams had that capability, to depict nature as it is, perfect, impressive, vital, beautiful, spiritual, and crucial to mankind.
When we entered the room exhibit for the Ansel Adams exhibit, I couldn’t help but have a big sense of curiosity over how Adams would capture Nature in his work. Sure enough, the first thing that surprised me, the same way that it surprised many of my classmates, was that all his photographs were in black and white. However, this did not left a negative first impression since the black&White photographs had an advantage over a colour one: The amount of detail.
Three of the photographs that stood out to me the most; not only because of their amount of detail, but also because of the all encompassing perspective that Adams achieved on them were: “Teton Snake River” and “Moonrise”.
They both seem to be focused on the sense of “immensity” we get from Nature. “Moonrise” showed the immensity of the sky against a vast bushy field that surrounds a solitary cemetery. Not only that but in it you could see texture. The texture of the bushes, the rock,earthy-ness of the mountain hills, the soft mistiness of the clouds and the washout gradient texture of the sky. “Teton Snake River” showed the familiar panoramic, mountain-forest-lake view we have of nature, but instead of looking cliché and flat, it looked like the raw reality: I could see the sandy bumps among the trees, a log floating down the river, the mix-match clouds on the sky: and it made me feels as If I was right there.
I think the way these photographs wrote nature is on how they balance the big picture, with the little details, and showing how in nature you can be amazed at both the big and small.
I, myself, love darkroom photography so naturally the Ansel Adams exhibit was very interesting to me. I loved all of the photos of the landscapes. They capture an instant in time when the landscape looks almost mystical and imaginative. It is hard work to take a picture and correctly develop a negative to be able to try to create an accurate print. All of his photos were exquisitely developed, and I'm sure he spent hundreds of hours perfecting his prints. One print that really stood out to me was his 'Mount Williamson.' This is the picture of the mountains from far off with clouds hanging in the air behind them. Not only are these elements in the picture, but from close up there is a field or rocks, which are in perfect contrast and focus in comparison with the other elements of the picture. It stood out to me because every element in the photo is in perfect focus, yet its dimensions don't take away from the painting. You can't tell if his subject was the mountains or the rocks up close, or the far off clouds sitting in the sky, effortlessly. The light in the photo demonstrates Adams’ ability to recognize when perfect lighting was available and makes the best use of it. I particularly liked this picture because the rocks up close are focused so that you can see their texture and their gritty characteristics, all the while still seeing every detail possible in the mountains and clouds. These photos write the environment in a silent way, they portray nature at its most beautiful and natural state. The photos don't say much; yet say so much at the same time. Most of them, I think just try to show the viewer that any landscape can be beautiful if photographed the right way, or viewed at the right time. Even "ugly" landscapes can be photographed beautifully.
Two texts that stood out to me were the bent tree and Moon and Half Dome, Yosemite due to the drama that shows in the picture. The first shows how plants can grow in ways that are curious, and thought provoking, while the second uses light to abstract the environment. This is important because it sort of shows that there are some things that are not meant to be reasoned, just appreciated.
Leo and I went to the Ansel Adams exhibit it was amazing he is an amazing photographer. He has a great eye and has influenced so many people. Each picture in the room by Ansel or those he influence had so much to them. I loved the picture of the aspens done in New Mexico it had depth and was beautiful. I really like how he tried to keep the pictures as uninfluenced as possible. Leo told me about one taken in the Sierra Nevada's that he was able to change slightly by over exposure to out the human graffiti on the mountain, I was fascinated the man really know his stuff. My mom is a photographer and hates the way every one is moving away from film I really understand how she feels when I look at the photographs. I have been to most of places he photographs and what is so extraordinary is that his pictures actually do the land some justice. I loved being able to read the descriptions about how long he waited to get a picture and what type of filters he used, he really mastered art. It saddens me because I wonder if the art of photography is dying.
I also really loved the picture of the Jeffery pine in Yosemite it reminds me of a tree me and my dad ate under on a road trip out west. Its curves are so pretty. Also the sand dune pictures were beautiful. I found it interesting that one of the people he influenced destroyed all his negatives but 12 because he said that the art was in the making of the print. I really liked the exhibit because it brought me in and held true the way of the west. I loved looking at the pictures of places I have been because the pictures reminded of how beautiful those places where and the places that I have not been to I really want to visit. I love photography because it is amazing I mean we are able to catch a moment in time and hold onto it forever and the work in the exhibit truly did justice to the land I love so much.
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