Ansel Adams 1902- 1984 ;
Cathedral Peak and Lake
Image Date: ca. 1938
Print Date: 1963
Print Type: Gelatin Silver
Print Size: approx. 6"x9", overmat size 16"x20"
This photo taken by Ansel Adams shows how magnificent nature’s beauty is through techniques that he introduced to the world of photography. This photo specifically is one of adams’ most well known images of the high country in Yosemite, a place where he frequently took pictures of many landscapes. It is said in his website (www.anseladams.com) that this photo was probably taken on a trip with the renowned artist and painter, Georgia O’ Keeffe and other friends in 1938. Ansel Adams apparently did not date his negatives of his photographs till much later and so the actual timeframe this was taken was much of a mystery until recently. It is however been able to “ positevly date it no later than 1938”.
The photograph has a mesmerizing quality about it and its beauty is in the vastness of the landscape that has striking contrasts of light and dark. We see some rocks in the foreground that are untouched by man’s touch. The rocks that are by the edge of the water are the only way you can tell that the water is not quite as still as one thinks because of the little ripples where the water swells. The body of water is still towards the middle of the frame and is crystal clear that provides for a great reflection of the sky and pine trees that line the waters edge in the far distance. The mountain is sharp and snow capped and draws our focus with its amazing symmetry. It is a cloudy but bright day and the clouds above are bursting with volume. They appear to be hiding the sun beneath its soft exterior. There also seems to be a possibility that there is rain approaching with the dark black rolling clouds in the far distance on the right corner of the frame. This photo is nature at it’s most beautiful, untouched by man and is intact in all it’s wilderness.
I can image this place far from civilization and the feeling of remoteness sets in. After I get over the breathtakingly beautiful view of the Cathedral Peak and Lake, I get a strong feeling of longing to be amidst the quiet air that surrounds these parts. This is where one goes for some soul searching and looking at this picture brings out in me a longing to get away from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis. I feel that clarity with my thoughts is something that this place can provide and if I try hard enough might actually be able to focus on doing some soul searching.
And yet, If I actually physically try to go back to same place this photo was taken, I will never be able to experience or see the exact same shot that Adams portrays in this photo of his. Most importantly, his contribution to the art of photography is widely heralded and acclaimed. His technique for achieving such beautiful and eternally moving photographs is what he has called the Zone System. According to Masters of Photography online, “In the Zone System, he engineered a technique by which the photographer could manipulate the photograph's internal tones without distorting essential photographic description. By means of filtration, development, and print controls, contrast could be heightened or softened and the placement of object values along the tonal scale could be predetermined by the photographer before the shutter was released”. Adams wanted to go above and beyond traditional photography and is able to create almost abstract forms with his ability to manipulate the darks from the lights. I have dabbled in photography and have worked in the dark room where I have used his technique and it really brings out a photographs intensity and depth when the shades of white to black are manipulated. The various tones of gray that can be achieved by using the zone technique lends the photographer a means of control and is a tool to calibrate exactly what he or she envisions.
In this particular case we can see this process clearly present through the elements of art and principles of design in Cathedral Peak and Lake. The organic lake is an eerie blackness compared to the white symmetrical capped mountain top. The sharpness of the mountain and its geometrical shape is ascending into the heavens and the tension of the photograph is achieved by the rolling clouds in the sky, full and heavy with a feeling that the storm is approaching or perhaps has past. Such a contrast to the gentle and stillness of the water with only a few ripples to actually get us to believe that that body of water is indeed water and not glass. The landscape covers the sky and the mountain in the far off distance to the rocks by the waters edge. It is a lot to take the beauty all in but works because of the overall effect of the landscape, which as I mentioned earlier gives a sense of inner peace and strength. As strong as the focal point in this photograph, the commanding white capped mountains. The black and whites are intense in their own degrees and the time is somewhat frozen through his lens.
For this generation to see a photograph like this, doubts that it has been altered would not be anything uncommon. Today everybody is familiar with photoshop and how various computer programs can enhance a photo. The amazing thing about Adams that makes him stand out among the rest is that he discovered this process in the dark room, with the use of developing chemicals and light and not the computer or a fancy program. This was supposedly taken in 1938, before the Second World War and so to have been the leader and innovator at the time is what makes him a master photographer which is really something to be acclaimed. He is known by his contemporaries as a legend and was often consulted for his technical know how on his theories and practice which has also filled the pages of many manuals that he has written.
Adams was always torn between “commercial” work to pay the bills and his landscapes. This struggle caused him much burden and he wished he could just focus on his creativity as an artist instead. According to his bio on his website published by the Oxford Press, “Although Adams became an unusually skilled commercial photographer, the work was intermittent, and he constantly worried about paying the next month's bills. His financial situation remained precarious and a source of considerable stress until late in life”(Turnage). What is significant to consider is how seventy years later in 2008, his landscape photos can be hanging on the wall in the library or coffee shop or some random office building and has been considered as commercial work with the mass production of his prints. Even years after his death, his gallery at the heart of Yosemite Valley is still open to the public in the same vicinity where this stunning photo was taken.
Unfortunately, He passed away in 1984 but has many accolades by not only his peers but people in the environmental protection movement. According to Encyclopedia Encarta online, “In 1984 the United States Congress established the Ansel Adams Wilderness Area, between Yosemite National Park and the John Muir Wilderness Area in California.” This area was formerly known as the Minarets wilderness but was renamed to honor Ansel for his contributions to photography and his undying commitment as an environmentalist. Before going green was trendy, Adams was already conscious of how delicate nature’s beauty is. His dynamic eye for beauty and dramatic perspective on nature is evidently showcased in Cathedral Peak and Lake and many of his other impressive works. Ansel Adams, photographing in Yosemite National Park from atop his car in about 1942. Many come to the park to try to take the same photos he did.
Works Cited List:
"Ansel Adams ." Masters of Photography. 1 December 2008
Ansel Adams," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2008
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Story, Loise. "What Adams Saw Through His Lens." New York Times 27 April 2008: Travel Section.
Turnage, William A. "Biography of Ansel Adams." Ansel Adams. 2 December 2008
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