Ansel Adams

I chose to look up Ansel Adams for a couple of reasons. Not only is he a paramount figure in photography, he might be the most commercially over-used and hated photographer of them all. Actually I should use the word “disliked” instead of hate in more of a love/hate relationship among artists. It was for this reason that Ansel Adams was the very first photographer that popped in my head. First off, I am no photography expert and I am no way learned in the history of photography, but we have all seen Ansel Adams work being sold in Target, Wal-Mart, etc. My friend’s house has at least four Ansel Adams photographs framed in his house. While some photographers stray away from the Adams style, I enjoy them. Ansel Adams, in my opinion, has a very unique eye for interesting landscape images. He was able to turn an ordinary tree, lake, or rocks into a very compelling image. I believe the key to this was that he shot most of these images in black and white. Sometimes color can take away meaning or be distracting to the viewer while black and white can create playful contrasts between figures and foreground intensifying the viewers experience. While in some aspects I do believe he is over commercialized within the photo market, he still offers a large amount of artistic inspiration for many people. That is the beauty about the electronic age of media. Art was once looked at by those considered worthy enough to view it, now anyone can take part in the art viewing experience and this opens more minds to the creative process, this is why I cannot sympathize with the unhappy artists that stray away from the Ansel Adams fan club. The more art seen, the better.