Ansel Adams Kind of Day

 Ansel Adams, arguably the greatest American photographer of all time, with his black and white photography style and attitude towards photography as an art form, has made a huge impact on my photography in many ways. A few years ago I embarked on a summer long photography project I dubbed "The Ansel Adams Project" where I focused much of my photographic attempts at identifying potential black and white landscape opportunities and then creating images in the style of Ansel Adams.

The Ansel Adams Project

What I learned from the Ansel Adams Project

I learned a great deal about how to construct a black and white photograph through that project and my appreciation of the complexities and flavor of black and white photography grew a great deal as a result. I suppose that project has never truly ended as I will from time to time continue in that quest to experience those Ansel Adams kind of days where the sky has transformed itself into a cobalt blue highlighted by cotton ball type clouds adrift across its expanse. Recently, another such day presented itself and as I was needing to get out of the house I spent most of that afternoon driving the local backroads of Kentucky in search of Ansel Adams style landscapes. 

All the books say the best light to shoot in is early and late, you know, that golden hour of the day when the light is soft and shadowy and generates shadows and drama. The good thing about shooting black and white style images is that you can shoot almost any time of day even during the brightest and harshish middle of the day light. Most of the time that is when you will find those puffy white clouds floating in the sky and the sky will be at its bluest. Yeah, the golden hour does offer a great deal of drama and will serve a black and white photograph well, however I would suspect that most of my black and white photos have been taken mid-day.

I rarely shoot in-camera monochrome and will 99.9% of the time shoot everything in vivid color that I convert to black and white using the Silver Efex plug-in with Photoshop Elements. Although there are a number of very good black and white conversion products available, I really like Silver Efex in that it allows for the full range of color band adjustments along with color filter effects and even the ability to select the type of film simulation, plus adjustment curves and preset options.

When I scan the backroads for potential black and white landscapes I look for several specific things that I believe lend themselves well to the black and white final image. I've already mentioned a deep blue sky and fluffy white clouds. Those two are almost a dead give away, but there are other things a well. I love to find an open field with a distant hillside bathed in shadow and sun. The contrast presented by such a setup works well in black and white. I also look for large stately trees that stand alone in a wide field. I will most always shoot from a low perspective so as to raise the tree canopy above the horizon and isolate it against the sky.

Another view I look for are reflections on water especially with the blue sky/cloud combinations and also to include old barns or stately buildings or a single tree. Many times as I drive around doing other things I will run across a location that has potential and so I make a mental note of where I saw it and try to return on another day. Large open expanses make for nice panoramic images especially if they can be photographed from an elevated location, even just a small amount of elevation gain can make a difference.

Around where I live there are large fields of crops, mostly corn, wheat, and soy. If I can find a bronze wheat field swaying in the wind on bluebird day, it is pure gold as a potential black and white photograph, especially if there is an old barn or a single tree in the middle of or near the field.

Most of the time when I shoot those blue sky days, I choose to place the horizon relatively low in the image to accent the sky and clouds, but sometimes I do just the opposite and accent the landscape. It just depends on the angle of the light and the texture of the sky. Speaking of angle and texture, I will shoot with a circular polarizer filter which helps to darken the sky and reduce glare in the clouds. Once I begin the post processing, it makes it easier to retain cloud detail and by applying a red or yellow filter during post processing, the sky can be rendered a dramatic almost black. Polariers only work within a 180 degree arch opposite the direction of the sunlight. Just use your index finger and thumb as a guide. Point your finger at the sun and extend your thumb to the side. The 180 degree arch will be outlined to either side and around your back. Anything inside the opposite 180 degrees, the polarizer does not do well.

I do love Ansel Adams kind of days. The trick is recognizing how to visually convert what you see in color into what the scene would appear as in black and white. It's not all that difficult. It just takes a little practice, but once you master the process, an Ansel Adams kind of day can open your photography up to a whole new, or maybe a return to an older style of photography.