Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/04/22
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Two years ago a local and very successful businessman exhibited 30 of his large collection of original Ansel Adams prints in a gallery just a half block away from my own office gallery here in Eureka. It was probably one of the finest Adams exhibits in the world. I spent many hours there alone with those luminous prints. Seeing some of them on TV last night was like seeing snapshots of old friends - at least a reminder of the actual print but, nevertheless, just a reminder. The program reminded me of the real prints, where the deep and sublte tones in the shadows were there to fall into. The highlights made you squint. And behind the technical mastery of the print was that quiet whisper behind nature - a hint of something grander than even Yosemite itself - that unmistakeable capturing of the three dimensional world in the two dimesons of film with a print that spoke of yet another dimension. What a priviledge to have those prints next door to study and admire. I also know without a doubt what a priviledge it has been for me to live on the North Coast next door to giant redwoods and ocean wildness bigger than Yosemite. Perhaps there's the connection. Maybe my "country" eyes have been pre-conditioned for Adams. In the city, it's difficult for me to find a parking space or a phone booth. The street signs never seem to allow enough time to change lanes. But closer to home, I can see the godwits twist the air over Humboldt Bay with a common mind, and the merest ripple in Big Lagoon tells me the size of the otter underneath. Even the feel of the air forecasts that brief minute of light about to burst under coastal fog against a dark forest landscape at sunset. When I see an Adams print close up, I feel that same surprise and thanks which he must have felt. With nothing else but a camera and patience, the scene finally appeared with the changing light. Or more blessed still, when rounding a corner, the camera was at hand and ready to capture a moment which disappeared seconds later except on the film. Adams caught a few of those moments of surprise that inspire me to keep looking for my own. Regards, Gary Todoroff Tree LUGger - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html