Some readers might wonder
why Ansel Adams is the topic on the LEICA Barnack Berek Blog. After all, as far as we know, among the large
number of cameras he has worked with, a Leica was never one of them.
As Leica enthusiasts, we
sometimes have a tendency to get too wrapped up in our equipment. The fact that Ansel Adams apparently never
did any work with Leica equipment in no way diminishes his accomplishments. To the contrary, all photographers, including
Leica owners, can learn a lot from him.
His approach to photography with the Zone system, which he created, is
still as much up to date today as it was when he worked his magic with black
and white photography. This is part of
what makes him of great interest to the Leica community, because Leica these
days has probably a much wider number of followers still using analog
photography than any other camera out there.
By applying his techniques, I have certainly been able to produce better
black and white photographs than I would otherwise have been able to.
Ansel Adams at work
This is not going to be an
article on Ansel Adams’ camera and darkroom techniques. For that he is doing a much better job in his
books than I ever could. Instead this is
a remembrance of one of the giants of photography, an individual that will
forever be remembered as one the absolute masters of his craft.
The L-Camera blog has
published a two part video of Ansel Adams from 1958. In this 20-minute presentation you get an insight
into his working methods, his own interests and attitude to art, and his
gigantic amount of camera equipment.
You will accompany the
photographer through the entire process of analog photography, from the precise
light reading of the object, the correct exposure settings of the camera and onto
the right development of the photos in the darkroom.
But you will also see
another, much lesser known side of Ansel Adams, that of an accomplished
pianist. As a matter of fact, he
initially planned to become a concert pianist, but the onset of arthritis kept
him from doing so. It wasn't until then
that he began his career as a photographer.
The piano music
accompanying the video was all played by Adams.
Listening to it is a captivating opportunity to see the other artistic
side of this great artist.
I am showing only one
example of his work. It is almost
impossible to make a reasonable selection from his many published
photographs. This one stands out because
it was taken without the possibility of an exposure reading. He came upon this scene while driving home
from an assignment. The light was
changing quite rapidly and Adams had barely time to set up his camera and
tripod. It is to his credit to be able
to accurately determine the exposure simply based on experience.
Moonrise over Hernandez
For the video go to: AnselAdams
Many people are satisfied just
to see and enjoy the incredible images Ansel Adams produced, but for many the
question remains, what cameras did he use.
As simple as the answer might seem, that question is actually not easy
to answer. Even Ansel Adams himself had
problems with that. In an interview with
John Adams recalled:
"Well, people have asked me what kind of cameras
I used. It's hard to remember all of them. Oh I had a box Brownie #1 in 1915,
16. I had the Pocket Kodak, and a 4 x 5 view, all batted down. I had a Zeiss
Milliflex. A great number of different cameras. I want to try to get back to 35
millimeter, which I did a lot of in the 1930s. Using one of the Zeiss compacts.
In the 20s and into the 30s, I would carry a 6-1/2 x 8-1/2 glass plate camera
-- that was a little heavy. And I had a 4 x 5 camera, then of course we went to
film, to film pack, things became a little simpler.”
Zeiss Contarex
Hasselblad
Arca Swiss
We do know that his
account is far from complete for no other reason that he also used larger than
4 x 5 cameras. As a matter of fact, many
of his iconic images were taken with 8 x 10 cameras. I recall a video about Ansel Adams where he
briefly shows some of his camera equipment.
There, for 35mm he used a Zeiss Contarex with a variety of lenses. Medium format photography was covered by
Hasselblad. As a matter of fact, one of
his photographs of the Half Dome was taken with a Hasselblad. In 2014 one of his 4 x 5 cameras was offered
for auction. It was an Arca Swiss with
several lenses. Ultimately, we will
never know what all the cameras were that ansel Adams used, and it doesn’t
really matter. What matters is the
incredible amount of work he produced.
We are very fortunate that to this day we are able to see this wok on
display in museums, galleries and other venues.
Thank you Ansel Adams.
POST SCRIPT
POST SCRIPT
I was just informed by a
reader that Ansel Adams at one time used a Leica R4. He also included a picture of a
transcript of Ansel Adams’ auto biography where he clearly states loading his
Leica R4 with film. I am glad to see
that this giant of photography has used Leicas as well.
________________________________________________________________________________________
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I am not familiar with the Zeiss Contarex. Is it equal to Leica equipment?
ReplyDeleteYes, it was in any respect. As a matter of fact, the Contarex was the only camera besides the Swiss Alpa, that was made with the same extremely tight tolerances as the Leica cameras. Unfortunately the camera line didn't survive, it was discontinued in the early 70s. an interesting fact is that the Contarex was the first camera that was used in outer space, not on a space flight, but actually out in space. That was during the first American space walk when Ed White used it to take photographs outside the space capsule. The camera was mounted on top of an experimental maneuvering device which had a hand grip from which a tube extended to both sides, with nozzles at the end. Below was a tank with a propellant which was supposed to give the astronaut some means of maneuverability, bit it proved toe be worthless. But the camera worked quite well.
DeleteDoes the zone system still have some relevance in these days of digital photography?
ReplyDeleteNot in its original form. Adams used it as a system to coordinate exposure with film development. That obviously does not apply to digital photography. However, it can be used in a modified form, with color as well as black and white only sensors. A few simple tests can easily determine the dynamic range of the cameras sensor. With other words, it is possible to determine at which point overexposure will render white without detail. The same can be done for underexposure. Having the sensor range in terms of f-stops will then allow the camera user to place the exposure such that either highlights or shadow areas are not lost.
DeleteThis practice, just like the zone system, ultimately requires a spot meter. Personally I find it easier to use a hand held meter for this, although an in-camera spot meter would work also.
What hand held lightmeter do you recommend?
ReplyDeleteBasically any handheld lightmeter should offer incident as well as reflected metering. But there are considerable differences. Most handheld lightmeters are sold as incident meters. To switch to reflected metering in most cases it is necessary to remove the incident dome and replace it with a reflected metering attachment. That works, but is very unhandy because it requires removing one accessory and replacing it with another. Meters like most of the Gossen lightmeters, for instance, allow the incident dome to be slid to the side and thus convert instantly to the reflected mode. Not only is this substantially faster, it also eliminates the possibility of losing or misplacing one of the other attachments. Another disadvantage is that many meters, when used in the reflected mode, work with an angle of view of 45 degrees. That is very wide and makes accurate reflected readings more difficult to take. Here again, the Gossen meters have the advantage of only a 30 degree angle of view. But even that is often too wide. Several of the Gossen meters offer a spot reading attachment with a viewfinder for accurate aim, that allows the angle of view to be narrowed to 15 and 7.5 degrees, also by just moving a switch. Most other narrow angle attachments offer only one angle of view, in many cases just 10 degrees. I still use a Gossen Luna Pro SBC and a Luna Pro F. The Luna Pro F has the additional advantage of being capable to read flash also, both with apertures up to f/90. That is of no great consequence with most digital cameras, but with view cameras it is of a definite advantage over meters that go only to f/32 or f/45. Compared to most other meters, these also have the advantage of being analog instead of digital. For me the readout is quicker and gives the entire shutter speed-F/stop choices and a glance instead of only one. Call me old fashioned, but I see the analog layout as an advantage.
DeleteWhat is the difference between an incident and a reflected light meter?
DeleteA reflected light meter reads the intensity of the light reflected by the subject. Unless used properly, a reflected light meter will render erroneous readings dependent on the brightness of the subject. An incident light meter reads the intensity of the light source. This automatically renders what is called true tonality. With other words, light subject automatically are rendered light while dark subject automatically are rendered dark.
DeleteThanks for the post script. I am glad to see that good old Ansel didn't ignore Leicas after all.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what Ansel Adams would think of digital photography?
ReplyDelete