What photographer (amateur or otherwise) doesn’t stand in awe of Ansel Adams’ work? The legendary shooter has produced some of the most iconic and breathtaking images of American landscapes known to man.
I discovered Adams’ work in college when I was shopping around for pictures to decorate the dreary walls of my dormitory. I bought posters of Adams’ Moon and Half Dome and Oak Tree, Snowstorm and would stare at them whenever I contemplated leaving the bitter Wisconsin cold and returning home to Hawaii. I ended up staying in college and those Ansel Adams’ posters remained with me for four years as well.
In the years since I purchased those first prints (reproductions) I have learned to appreciate Adams’ work even more. I added to my Ansel Adams’ collection with books, calendars, cards and more matted reproductions of some of his finest work. And recently, I learned that some rarely seen photographs that Adams took of the Sierra Nevada and Yosemite National Park have been put on public display at a small museum not far from where Adams shot the pictures in 1940.
A few dozen 5-inch-square proofs that Adams reportedly never intended anyone to see are being shown to provide insight on how the master worked on crafting the images that are now famously known the world over. The exhibit of 50 photos, about 30 of which are credited to Adams, runs through December 2nd at the Museum of the Albemarle. The collection is called “Ansel Adams in the East: Cruising the Inland Waterway in 1940.”
However, the exhibit is not without controversy. Some of Adams’ trustees call the move to display the proofs “unethical” and claim that the photographer would have never authorized the public exhibit. According to Adams’ biographer, the photographer, who also trained as a concert pianist, compared proofs to the score and a finished print to the performance. By showing his proofs Adams’ biographer contends that it takes away from the final product.
But, museum curators say the proofs are an important part of the historical record, documenting a time in Adams’ life as well as showing fans that photography is an art form that is ever evolving. What’s more, they say the unedited work gives visitors a whole new perception of who Ansel Adams was and how he took photographs.
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