Ansel Adams photograph of Mt. Williamson is a perfect photograph - and I don't use that word lightly. I often favor works of art that are so deeply flawed by accidents that they simply can not be repeated. An artistic genius is someone that continues to make those accidents happen without record of effort or labor.
But Mt. Williamson is not an accident - it is a record of pure technical perfection and study. I have spent years looking at it. Even though I have never been a fan of Adams' work I can respect his unmatched skill in fine art black and white photography. To see his work in person is transforming. Most images are shot on an 8x10" view camera that renders a negative so large that no film grain disrupts the printed image. Many of his prints are 20x24" on glossy paper. The tones so rich that you are sure you are looking at an image made of wet cream and black ink. If you breath too close the image might slip off the wall - melting into a puddle of perfect middle gray on the floor.
This weekend I was driven to take my own photograph of Mt. Williamson. I knew my shot would pale by comparison. I was like a contestant on American Idol that had chosen to sing a Whitney Houston song - I just didn't have the chops to pull it off. I did realize what I didn't like about landscape photography - that I can't control the light. Adams shot of Williamson is so amazing because the side light gives the mountains volume, and the illuminated clouds separate these front mountains from the almost obscured Mt Williamson in the back. I waited for the light to cooperate, but it didn't. You either just have to be lucky, or spend a lot of time waiting. My Mt. Williamson is so flatly lit and a fence kept me from reaching the boulder field.
Ansel Adams, "Mt. Williamson," 1945
Wendy, don't be so hard on yourself...your shot of Mt. Williamson is great nonetheless! You were not at the same vantage pt. there was no storm on the way and you did not have an 8X10 camera to use. That being said, Ansel Adams did have patience to wait for those kind of shots, however we did not see any of his "rejects" so I'm sure he wasn't spot on all the time. BTW - did you hear about the gentleman that bought some Ansel Adam negs at a garage sale for $45 only to find out years later that they are worth millions?! Check out the article at: http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/07/27/ansel.adams.discovery/index.html?hpt=C2
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