Still more postcards – this time by Ansel Adams

April 28, 2023 by Howard Dale Posted in Black & White, Landscapes, Photographers, Photographs, Photography Leave a comment

I recently posted about Cornelia Cotton and her wonderful used book store/gallery in Croton-on-Hudson (See: Cornelia). While there I bought an Ansel Adams Yosemite National Park Postcard Folio Book.

It consists of 25 postcards (23 photographs, a title page, and an introduction). I think there were supposed to be more. The title page mentions “Front Cover Photograph: Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite National Park, California, 1944″ and “Back Cover Photograph: Ansel Adams by Mimi Jacobs” (Mimi Jacobs took a number of photographs of Adams. Since I don’t know which one was included in this collection I can’t provide a link), both of which seem to be missing. I’ve included five images here to give you a feel for what they’re like. Of course my low resolution scans from my cheap, poor quality scanner don’t come close to doing justice to the the postcards themselves.

My interest in photography started around 1978 when my wife gave me a brand new Minolta Hi-Matic 7sII. Maybe I mentioned that I would like a camera? Maybe she just thought it would be a good idea? Little did she know what a monster she was unleashing. Not long before, an Ansel Adams print (Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico) had sold for what then seemed to be the astonishing amount of $71,500 (the same print sold for $609,600 in 2006 and the current most expensive photograph is Le Violon d’Ingres (1924) by Man Ray, which sold in 2022 for $12,400,000). Around that time a friend lent me one of Adams’s books (I believe it was “The Camera“). With my new found enthusiasm for photography I wanted to be Ansel Adams, to make those lovely black and white photographs. Over the years my interest for landscape photography has waned a bit. I live in the rather picturesque Hudson Valley so I still take plenty of landscape pictures, but my photographic interests have broadened to include street photography, macro photography, nature photography etc. I still like black and white photography though and to me he’s still the master of that.

Curiously, while I was working on these images ended up temporarily in a folder, which also contained ten black and white pictures I’d taken of the New Croton Dam. Of course they weren’t anywhere near as good as the Adams photographs. But I was pleased to see that they didn’t look that bad either – at least as seen in low resolution on screen. I’m sure that Adams prints would blow anything I could produce out of the water.

Half Dome and Clouds, Yosemite Park, c.1968, Ansel Adams.

Merced River, Cliffs, Autumn, Yosemite National Park, 1939, Ansel Adams.

Fern Spring, Dusk, Yosemite National Park, c.1961, Ansel Adams.

Dogwood, Yosemite National Park, 1938, Ansel Adams.

Mirror Lake, Mount Watkins, Spring, Yosemite National Park, 1935, Ansel Adams.

A Postcard

April 28, 2023 by Howard Dale Posted in Black & White, Landscapes, Statues Leave a comment

A while ago a friend of mine gave me a set up cards, each one with a different example of his wildlife photography. I was impressed by this and for some time have wanted to try something similar myself.

I came up with the idea of a collection of postcards, each one showing something related to my village. These could be either a number of postcards all with the same picture, or each with a different picture.

This is my first attempt. Generally I’m quite pleased with it – except for the dotted lines on the rear. If I were to do it again I’d go with solid lines instead.

After I’d finished with this I asked myself: “Does anyone actually send postcards anymore”? I raised this with another friend and he suggested notecards rather than postcards. He may be right. I’ll give it a try.

Fine art photography

April 22, 2023 by Howard Dale Posted in Black & White, Buildings/Structures, Landscapes, Photography, Thoughts Leave a comment

I follow a number of landscape photographers on YouTube. I’ve noticed a trend in the way they are using the words “fine-art”. They usually use it to describe a particular type of image:

Black and white.
Minimalist composition: i.e. usually a single subject, often situated in water.
Still water made smooth with a long exposure.

Something like the above, but not quite. The above image is one of mine and I don’t do that kind of photography. This is probably the closest I come. Maybe a better illustration would the work of Theodore Kefalopoulos. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not criticizing this type of work. When done well I rather like some of it.

Rather I feel that labeling this type of photography as “fine art” is too limiting. Surely “fine art” photography is broader that this. Wikipedia provides the following definition, which I prefer even though I don’t altogether agree with it (why, for example can photojournalism not be considered “fine art”):

Fine-art photography is photography created in line with the vision of the photographer as artist, using photography as a medium for creative expression. The goal of fine-art photography is to express an idea, a message, or an emotion. This stands in contrast to representational photography, such as photojournalism, which provides a documentary visual account of specific subjects and events, literally representing objective reality rather than the subjective intent of the photographer; and commercial photography, the primary focus of which is to advertise products, or services.

Clearly I’ll have to think about this some more. I’m not sure that I fully understand what “fine art” photography is, but I think I know what it’s not: it’s not limited to black and white; minimalist; long exposure seascapes.

Taken with a Fuji X-E3 and Fuji XF 10-24mm f4

Dead tree with rock outcropping

April 22, 2023 by Howard Dale Posted in Black & White, Nature, Trees Leave a comment

This was also taken quite close to my house. I liked the juxtaposition of the two trees, the one in the foreground very much alive and the other one probably dead (although you can never be sure until it’s time for the leaves to come out). I rather hope it is dead, because I find it interesting without leaves. The branches almost look like limbs reaching up to the somewhat threatening sky.

Taken with a Fuji X-E3 and Fuji XF 10-24mm f4

Another bridge

April 22, 2023 by Howard Dale Posted in Black & White, Buildings/Structures Leave a comment

This small bridge is quite close to the larger bridge in the previous post. I’ve taken pictures of this one too – but not many, and those in black and white. These are the first that I’ve taken in color.

I really like this one. The larger bridge is impressive, but somewhat boring. There’s much more going on with this one: the brook falling over rocks; small pools; old fallen trees; gnarled tree roots with rocks seemingly growing out of them etc. I also find it amazing that although the picture conveys the impression of a burbling brook in the woods, it’s actually only a very short distance from a busy road.

It’s also more of a mystery. While it’s clear that the larger bridge was built to carry the road up to the mansion, I haven’t got a clue what the purpose of this bridge was. It’s really small, only large enough to carry a person (or an animal? or a small cart?). Clearly it allowed passage from somewhere to somewhere else, but why?

I guess I’ll probably never know.