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Author Topic: Ansel Adams and Shadows  (Read 6752 times)

drralph

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Re: Ansel Adams and Shadows
« Reply #20 on: December 18, 2018, 10:40:24 am »

I would be very interested in your observations once you have been able to compare the silver gelatin with the inkjet versions.

I pulled out the print I made about 30 years ago.  I think it was probably printed on Agfa Multicontrast Classic rather than Brovira.  But I found a print of another negative made at the same time on Brovira.  Now I see why Terry recommended saturation 12 on the split toning.  The Brovira is even warmer than I remembered.  I'll have to make another proof using sat 12 and compare again.  But the tone appears extremely close between the silver and digital prints. 

The luster of the surface of the Brovira is much richer than the Canson Baryta that I used for the digital print. 

The comparison also showed how my taste in shadow printing has evolved.  The old print is considerably darker, but with shadow detail preserved to careful scrutiny.  I also made different cropping decisions on the old print.

I might as well share the image I have been talking about.  The uniforms and hair provide plenty of shadow detail to play with.

Mark D Segal

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Re: Ansel Adams and Shadows
« Reply #21 on: December 18, 2018, 11:00:18 am »


  ...........But the tone appears extremely close between the silver and digital prints. 

..............

Much as I expected based on my own work comparing darkroom prints from the 1960s/70s with today's inkjet prints - we have so much control over scanning, hue and tonality that there isn't much from the chemical darkroom days we can't at least nearly replicate, and even improve upon.
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PeterAit

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Re: Ansel Adams and Shadows
« Reply #22 on: December 18, 2018, 11:29:55 am »

Friends of ours have an original Paul Strand print hanging on their wall. Every time we are at their house I gaze upon it lovingly.
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Zen8

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Re: Ansel Adams and Shadows
« Reply #23 on: December 18, 2018, 12:57:49 pm »

My favourite as well. Read all of his books and built a 4 by 5 field camera kit by Bender. Built my own vacuum tables and used a vacuum cleaner I picked up at garage sale for $5. Built my own stand up processing tanks for large prints.     

We seen his show in Toronto many years ago. I walked up to a poster sized print of Moonrise over Hernandez and I asked if they would take a cheque. The reply was it is priceless.

3 years ago we went down to Arizona, stopped in Hernandez and found the spot where he took Moonrise. Kind of shame. One of his most famous shots and not a single marker. Just an abandoned gas station.

I'm glad I learned about all of that before going digital. It was good times in the darkroom but I'll never go back. My digital tribute to his teachings which I try to apply.

drralph

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Re: Ansel Adams and Shadows
« Reply #24 on: December 20, 2018, 06:00:03 pm »

My digital tribute to his teachings which I try to apply.

Nice work!  Ansel would be impressed.  If he were alive today, he would totally embrace the incredible control that digital provides, and be searching for the latest and greatest.  He was not at all wedded to traditional methods or materials.

Eric Myrvaagnes

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Re: Ansel Adams and Shadows
« Reply #25 on: December 20, 2018, 07:47:02 pm »

Nice work!  Ansel would be impressed.  If he were alive today, he would totally embrace the incredible control that digital provides, and be searching for the latest and greatest.  He was not at all wedded to traditional methods or materials.
Very true.
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drralph

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Re: Ansel Adams and Shadows
« Reply #26 on: January 04, 2019, 09:39:36 am »

I tried the Split Toning trick to simulate Agfa Brovira on another image.  This one is a minimalist subject which relies on a gradient of density.  The result is a fairly visible line near the center where the toning ends, and the natural color of the image takes over.  Not exactly what I was after, nor what Brovira would have provided.  Maybe I should tone the highlights as well?

Mark D Segal

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Re: Ansel Adams and Shadows
« Reply #27 on: January 04, 2019, 10:37:00 am »

I tried the Split Toning trick to simulate Agfa Brovira on another image.  This one is a minimalist subject which relies on a gradient of density.  The result is a fairly visible line near the center where the toning ends, and the natural color of the image takes over.  Not exactly what I was after, nor what Brovira would have provided.  Maybe I should tone the highlights as well?

Yes, definitely if you are seeing that kind of discontinuity and it is not intended.
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Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Ansel Adams and Shadows
« Reply #28 on: January 04, 2019, 11:11:08 am »

AA’s blacks were getting black-er over the years.

One of the surprises for me in Louvre was just how dark, almost black, many classical paintings are in the shadows. Classic masters knew one should illuminate what matters.

Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Ansel Adams and Shadows
« Reply #29 on: January 04, 2019, 11:17:29 am »

... 3 years ago we went down to Arizona, stopped in Hernandez and found the spot where he took Moonrise. Kind of shame. One of his most famous shots and not a single marker. Just an abandoned gas station...

Good. Otherwise...

drralph

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Re: Ansel Adams and Shadows
« Reply #30 on: January 04, 2019, 12:25:29 pm »

Good. Otherwise...

What location is that, Slobodan?

Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Ansel Adams and Shadows
« Reply #31 on: January 04, 2019, 12:58:01 pm »

What location is that, Slobodan?

Yosemite, Horsetail Fall.

drralph

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Re: Ansel Adams and Shadows
« Reply #32 on: January 04, 2019, 01:32:29 pm »

One of the surprises for me in Louvre was just how dark, almost black, many classical paintings are in the shadows. Classic masters knew one should illuminate what matters.

These are a couple of the Millet pastels I mentioned above.  What photographer could resist brightening at least the face?  Another odd choice is cropping out half of the crescent moon.

drralph

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Re: Ansel Adams and Shadows
« Reply #33 on: January 04, 2019, 03:31:04 pm »

3 years ago we went down to Arizona, stopped in Hernandez and found the spot where he took Moonrise. Kind of shame. One of his most famous shots and not a single marker. Just an abandoned gas station.

Using Google Street View and historical research, I was able to find the location Ansel's Moonrise, Hernandez, NM was taken.  Much has changed, and the original view is no longer visible.  In the distance just left of center, the bright spot is a new metal roof on the old Mission San Jose church, which is a primary feature in Ansel's image.  The graveyard is now screened by trees.  Ansel used a longer lens, but I left the contemporary shot a bit wider to give context.

Eric Myrvaagnes

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Re: Ansel Adams and Shadows
« Reply #34 on: January 04, 2019, 08:18:56 pm »

Surprisingly, I think I prefer Ansel's version.   ;)
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Martin Kristiansen

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Re: Ansel Adams and Shadows
« Reply #35 on: January 04, 2019, 08:29:14 pm »

These are a couple of the Millet pastels I mentioned above.  What photographer could resist brightening at least the face?  Another odd choice is cropping out half of the crescent moon.

A current generation photographer would definately cool the image down and recover tons of detail in the shadow areas. If the photographer didn’t do so and posted the image on a photographic forum someone would suggest it and even offer to fix it to show how how it should be done.
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drralph

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Re: Ansel Adams and Shadows
« Reply #36 on: January 04, 2019, 09:37:37 pm »

A current generation photographer would definately cool the image down and recover tons of detail in the shadow areas. If the photographer didn’t do so and posted the image on a photographic forum someone would suggest it and even offer to fix it to show how how it should be done.

LOL, agree.  It is interesting that both were created on brown paper, so highlights were intentionally excluded.

luxborealis

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Re: Ansel Adams and Shadows
« Reply #37 on: January 05, 2019, 09:56:01 am »

Using Google Street View and historical research, I was able to find the location Ansel's Moonrise, Hernandez, NM was taken.  Much has changed, and the original view is no longer visible.

I’m amazed at how well AA spotted out the hydro lines!  ;)
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Eric Myrvaagnes

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Re: Ansel Adams and Shadows
« Reply #38 on: January 05, 2019, 10:14:57 am »

I’m amazed at how well AA spotted out the hydro lines!  ;)
+1.
Spotting directly on the negative is indeed quite tricky.   ;D
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Zen8

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Re: Ansel Adams and Shadows
« Reply #39 on: January 06, 2019, 01:39:15 pm »

Using Google Street View and historical research, I was able to find the location Ansel's Moonrise, Hernandez, NM was taken.  Much has changed, and the original view is no longer visible.  In the distance just left of center, the bright spot is a new metal roof on the old Mission San Jose church, which is a primary feature in Ansel's image.  The graveyard is now screened by trees.  Ansel used a longer lens, but I left the contemporary shot a bit wider to give context.

I think that is a few blocks away from that abandoned gas station which I couldn't find in street view. Maybe they tore it down. This is where the mom and pop Mexican restaurant told us it was. We drove down there and I assume this is the church.                   
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