Over the past few weeks I have been reading, or re-reading Ansel Adams book The Negative. It is an exhaustive technical guide on producing negatives using the Zone System. I have been learning and re-learning a good deal from it. One of my projects this next year is shooting black and white landscapes and what better source then to go to the master for technical advice. I suppose in many circles, Adams is not in vogue these days, and yet his influence on both the art and craft of photography is insurmountable.
Ansel Adams, The NegativeI only first heard of Adams series of books after undergrad (1994) when I was working at the Pike Place Market in Seattle. I briefly worked for a photographer, peddling his tasteful black and white photos of the region. I was not so good at selling his work, though Robert Bennett was a good guy and he loaned me one of his Adams books on the print. I have not seen nor talked to Robert in many years but I did notice that he is focused full time on his woodworking business. http://www.whidbeywoodworkers.com/artisans/rbennett.html
Ansel Adams, The Print (thanks Robert)Unlike most photo graduates ( I did not get a degree in photography, until my MFA) I did not learn about nor fully understand the Zone System until I was teaching a large format photo course, designed by photo faculty Paul Mckee, at Prescott College in Arizona. Paul studied with among others, Frederick Sommer (who lived much of his adult life in Precott). Teaching large format in Arizona was inspiring and memorable, though like many things in life, did not turn out the way I had envisioned.
I am getting primed to begin shooting here on Orcas and in the San Juans. I have almost pieced together a makeshift developing room and am putting the final touches on updating my photo gear for landscape shooting. There is plenty of inspiration on the island and now I just need to find the space to begin, or should I say, continue, our adventure here. I have actively been shooting on Orcas for over 6 years now. During the summer of 2002, we spent 5 weeks on the island and I began shooting black and white with a view camera. Since then, we have returned every year for at least a few weeks or more. For several years I shot color with my medium format. This last year I returned with field camera. Most of the work I have generated on Orcas thus far has not stood the test of time, though I was happy with some of the images from the last visit in Jan. of 08.
Obstruction Pass, Pigment Print, Edition of 10, 16"x20", Edition of 5, 24"x30", Jan. 2008, Dennis DeHart
4 comments:
This is a wonderful pic. I wish I could see the print in person. Maybe someday.
take care
T
Good for you. The Adams series are really terrific. Looking forward to see your results. So will you be scanning the negatives?
That is a good question anonymous. My hope is to leave the option to do both, which means I will need to be that much more exacting with my negatives. At this juncture I plan on scanning the negatives, and printing them with on a inkjet printer, because this is what I have access to. At some point I might like to work in the darkroom and make traditional silver prints. While I am a big fan of the pigment print, nothing quite has the feel of a silver print.
Glad to hear it. I am a big fan of silver gelatin work.
Post a Comment