What The Ansel Adams Style Project Taught Me

When I started one of the most interesting photographic projects I've ever tried, The Ansel Adams Style Project, I wasn't sure where it would lead, but discovered along the way just how important a project like this can become. I never believed I would ever attain the prowess of the name sake of this adventure, but this project proved itself not only fun and rewarding, but instructional and revealing. What the venture taught me will be carried forward in my seemingly never ending quest to capture that one perfect image and hopefully provided a measure of inspiration to continue pursuing this fascinating form of photography known as Black and White.

I've always been a huge fan of black and white photography having had my early development as a photographer heavily influenced by its nuances. More often than not though most of the time in more recent years I simply would take color images and realize later how they would actually look better as a black and white, then convert them. The Ansel Adams style project forced me to look at the world through a black and white filter to do what Ansel learned during his development as a photographer, to visualize the outcome before ever snapping the shutter.

Visualization. A process of knowing the results before they occur. It is probably the most difficult aspect of photography for most people to fully grasp. Even experienced and technically competent photographers often struggle with its significance. Yet, it is one aspect I have attempted to refine over the years, not always successfully, but in a manner where I begin to experience the excitement of creating what I see in my minds eye.

Along with Visualization, I've always tried to live within the creative confinement of the art form, looking for light in all of its forms. Doing so sometimes causes one to drift toward being, dare I say, a bit depressed, because, well I do not always find the inspiration to create what resides within all artists. Searching for such things can become a bit futile when attempt after attempt falls short of expectations...and then...all of sudden, it falls into place. One such moment occurred during this project when I hiked into Shanty Hollow and discovered to my delight one of the most dramatic moments of light I've ever encountered. These are the events that make it all worth the effort, when stage, moment, and light converge to present the delicate flavors of nature in a magnificent encounter.

Worth all the effort? Actually, the effort came naturally, what was revealed was just how important it is to try something new every once in a while, to jump start creative instincts, to reopen the imagination,and to even relive and re-experience what the great masters might have accomplished. 

What I outwardly gained from this project I can only share in a feeble attempt at writing about it. What was truly gained resides inward in a deeper context of revelation and accomplishment. Rarely am I moved by the photographs I take, yet somehow when I view the haunting image taken within Shanty Hollow, I understand more fully why I started the project in the first place.

The Ansel Adams project started as a "let's see what turns up" kind of adventure. It finished as one of the most inspirational and exciting projects I've ever attempted. Even though I've set it aside as an exclusive project for now, it's really not over, for I will continue to explore this fascinating form of photography. Who knows, maybe that one great photograph I've been chasing will be generated from this ancient form of photography captured in a most unlikely place.

The Ansel Adams Project

When it's Just Not Working...Turn Around

Grumbling, I picked myself up from a rather ungraceful fall after just encountering a loose rock strategically placed on the down slope side of the trail for some unsuspecting soul to step on. Then I continued on my way and limped to the bottom of the Shanty Hollow Falls ravine and stepped onto the gravel banks of the outlet creek.

It was a bright sunny day, not the best kind of day usually to photograph within a heavily wooded area. The bright sun poked its rays well into the ravine creating a great deal of bright hot spots and dark contrasty shadows. At first I simply surveyed my surroundings and grimaced at what was there and started to reluctantly take photographs at what at first seemed to be rather nice looking compositions. Upon closer examination I realized what I was capturing fell well short of what my eyes were seeing. After several more unsuccessful attempts, I stopped and simply stood motionless, just staring at what was in front of me trying to figure how to visually make sense of what was there. Nothing seemed to work photograpically, then, I remembered an old photographer's trick...when it's not working, turn around... And so I did.

To my amazement what I saw set my photographic juices to flowing as the mid-day sun applied a brilliance of light to the leaves whose incandescence filtered deeper into the ravine to cast a glow across the horseshoe shaped amphitheater. I have often said that a photographer sees with his heart, and my heart was moved when I saw how the ravine was alight with an almost unnatural luminosity. It was amazing light, like none I had ever witnessed before and I instantly understood how here in front of me the natural world was to reveal the best of what I had hoped for. Photographing it proved a challenge because of the heavy contrasts, but I knew the results were going to be exciting. I found this revelation to be fitting because I was there following up on an Ansel Adams Style project where I wanted to capture nature in the same kind of style Ansel Adams might have used.

He once wrote about how the light he encountered in the high Sierra's set him on the path to becoming a photographer. His life changing words were filled with inspiration and insight and revealed a deeper understanding of what his purpose was to become. The light I encountered on this day had a similar effect, maybe not so dramatic as what he became, but the powerful, revealed light within that ravine spoke to me using natural, visual words of insight.

Sometimes photographic moments do have simple solutions. We just need to remind ourselves about the simplicity of doing something like turning around and looking in the other direction. Whether shooting a sunset, a rain squall, or from inside a shaded ravine, looking the other direction often reveals something new and unique.

Too often I find myself locked into a single way of thinking about the results I expect from a photo shoot. In reality, it is only when I let go of preconceived notions does the real opportunity reveal itself. Turning around and looking the other way sounds so obvious, I am amazed at how often I fail to apply such a simple solution to the bigger problem. Light is, as always, what I want to capture, not objects, and by first looking for the light, the purpose of the objects suddenly come to life.

I used a polarizer filter to reduce the glare, and held a graduated neutral density filter to the front of the lens to help balance the brighter upper portion with the darker shadowed areas. After several shots, I knew I had captured a remarkable moment of light and could not wait to download the results. I turned around again and carefully made my way out of the ravine.

Chasing the Night - Capturing Star Fields

Photographing the night sky has become one of the fastest growing types of photography. Using even basic equipment and a little knowledge of the night sky once can capture some fascinating objects. In recent years I have spent more and more time chasing the night photographing subjects like the Milky Way center, and few planets like Saturn and Jupiter along with a few deep sky objects like Andromeda.

Perseus Double Cluster

Most of my images fall well short of what is possible when you combine quality photographic equipment with very dark and scenic night sky areas, but they are still fun to do and what makes it most enjoyable is because it is "now" real time.

One of the most intriguing things to do when photographing the night sky is to simply point your camera toward a dark area and see what you get. Most of the time it will simply be a scattered collection of stars spread across your field of view, but sometimes you discover some interesting sky objects.

Beehive Cluster

Star field photographs are just that, a photograph of a random series of stars. What makes them intriguing is the patterns they create. Stars of course are made up of a variety of types and colors with some being red, some bluish, some yellow, and some white. The colors do have a meaning with the various tones indicating how hot they are and in some cases how large they are.

When you find clusters of them, well now you have discovered a real deep sky object. Some of the more famous ones include The Beehive Cluster, and the Perseus Double Cluster, along with Pleiades or also called the Seven Sisters. These are beautiful clusters and reveal just how amazing is the night sky.

I will not get into all the techniques involved, just wanted to write a simple post and share some of the more fascinating images I've managed to capture. More information can be found within this blog by doing a search using Night Sky as a key word.