How Ansel Adams Changed Photography

Most photographers are familiar with Ansel Adams, but his work is more relevant today than we may realize. This week I'm breaking down his iconic style, the methods and intentions behind it, and why it matters for landscape photography today.

Some further reading:

🎼 Tracks used:

📸 Images used:

🎤 Sound effects used:

📺 Footage used:

✏️Fonts used:
Uni Sans
Oswald
Futura

also I know someone will leave an angry comment because I used the Porta 400 overlays for this. they look cool. it's not that deep

The links above are affiliate links, from which I gain a small monetary compensation when purchases are made. They help keep the lights on ;)

[JeffStudley]

In a previous career as a commercial printer one of the jobs I has was printing the posters and books of Ansel Adams through Little Brown and Company, the publisher. There was a special high tack dense black and a grey (Ansel Adams Grey) that we used as well as other specialized materials to get the cleanest dot on a printing press. We were also using the highest dpi in the industry at the time for detail. First time through the press was the duotone pass. Let it dry then run it through again for a high gloss varnish. Let that dry. Then turn the sheet upside down and run it through the press one more time to "polish" the sheet - essential removing all of the spray powder used to keep the sheets from sticking together. Best job ever, but that was back in the late 80's. I found a picture of Ansel and Dave Gardner (Gardner Lithograph) on a press check in a drawer in the pressroom. Still got that today.

[filmbyhari]

5:17 I think you got dodge and burn mixed up. When you dodge, it leaves the area brighter as you are stopping the light from hitting the paper. When you burn, it darkens the image as you allow more light to hit the paper. It's the opposite of a negative where more light = brighter image.

[MangoHombre]

To truly understand and appreciate Ansel Adams photography, you need to see one of his prints in person. It's literally like seeing the Grand canyon all your life in books or on TV and then you see it in real life.

[ProFriend]

My dad was a well-known commercial photographer for over 70 years and used view cameras (the ones with the bellows) almost exclusively. His largest was a monster 16x20 Deardorf with a 5" lens, used mostly for taking really high resolution photos and transparencies of very small objects, like diamonds and jewelry. It stood about 9' tall. He used all the tricks and techniques also used by Adams (and all commercial photographers of that era) and I used to watch him work in the darkroom all the time. To a small boy it all looked like magic. I'm glad to see you taking an interest in the old masters, like Adams. My dad met him once in the 1950s, but never talked much about the encounter.

[ralphmwhite]

That was exceedingly well put. When you started by saying “I got interested in him several weeks ago…” I literally rolled my eyes, but luckily, age has taught me humility so I kept watching, and I’m glad I did.

[MPK]

Best part of this video, is talking about "Visualization". I learnt that, before i do a click, wait for a minute, think about the composition and tell a story. Every pic should be like a single frame from a movie, thanks for the teaching.

[zone]

Adams began using lighter cameras, the older he got. He used a Hasselblad and tested the early Hassie models for Victor Hasselblad. In the last year of his life he used a Leica, though not exclusively. His biography is great reading, and the PBS American Masters program on Adams is excellent. It’s very instructive to go see his work in an art museum and look at it firsthand.

[zone]

It’s easy to forget that with a view camera, Adams composed all his photos with the groundglass image upside-down and reversed left to right. Try that sometime!

[pedrofalcon]

Loved it man.The trend photography and videography sometimes forget the rich concepts and masters of our arts, and going back to them always makes us "level up the game" (hate that expression, maybe "developing more our arts"?) and love it more. The majority of landscape photographers pratically have a base on the form of Adams and romantic painting like David Friedrich and his "Wanderer above the sea of fog", so they do, or try to do, take less photos, they observe and apreciate more before taking a photo, it's kind of a philosophy on how to apreciate, observe and truly see nature and express how our eyes, heart and mind had a emotional connection with the scene. A slow rythim and living a full experience and love for our home (Earth), our nature. In this liquid world, where everything is so fast, everything is always quickly changing, a slow pace maybe can be all we need to live well and be at peace, that's one of the lessons I get with Adams and other landscape photographers, but hey, I have always been a nature's lover and surfer since kid hahahah.

[prajwalgraphy]

I don't know a lot about photographer that's why I didn't know of him but seeing his work right now it looks so amazing he definitely was a legend and a master of photography

[Westlake]

Glad that you came across him and researched Ansel about the art of photography in the earlier years.
He had inspired me in my early days of photography during the 70’s and enjoyed many of his books including, “The Negative” and “The Print”.
He could only carry so many film holders with him on his trips (2 pieces of film per holder), so every image had to be composed, focussed and exposed correctly.

Was lucky to see a show of his work in Toronto including his famous “Moonlight Hernandez” image which was simply stunning to
see in person.
He was a true master photographer and conservationist.
Ansel was also a concert pianist and busted his nose during the devasting 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Great video!

[twmedia-film]

3030: ”How Aidin Robbins changed the history of filmmaking”

[granitfog]

Correction to time stamp 5:16 - 5:28: DODGE and BURN in printing a negative causes the opposite effect from exposing. Dodging reduces light on specific areas of the paper (though all those paper shapes at the end of a wire) so the paper will be bright / whiter. Burning (with the holes in stiff paper or cardboard) increases light at specific areas and causes darkening of the printed paper. Did this all this in my younger days, pain in the ars to get just right, using up loads of paper to get the final print just right.

Also, IMHO, it is a lot easier to compose (visually) a photo with a larger camera under a drape than with a small one. It is so hard for me to see all the elements in a scene when one eye is glued to a view finder with light filling in the space on the sides or on the 3" back screen in the daylight. But at least I won't come hope with a backache after lugging tons of camera gear and tripod when using a smaller (FF or APS-C) camera.

[rne]

Awesome job. I liked how you changed your studio to match the theme of the video.

[samuelforeman]

just showed this to a highschool photography class, well done!

[valeriegiacobbe]

I’m not sure Ansel used portra 400 like the film borders suggest, but I’m excited to watch the rest

[PaulFoley]

Thanks for making this video, Aidin. It is an entertaining and concise overview of Adams’ work and process. I discovered his images in 1979 on my first visit to Yosemite and have based my own professional photographic process on his teachings ever since. By chance, I was fortunate to visit his darkroom in Carmel - unfortunately, he wasn’t there at the time but it was an experience nevertheless.
It’s great that you have shared this video with your younger audience. His books, ‘The Camera’, ‘The Negative’ and ‘The Print’ are still relevant today. In fact, I believe that Ansel Adams would have been a brilliant digital photographer and shown us how to get the most from a pixel ‘negative’.

[diannemcdermand]

You appear to be a younger man but the quality of your video seems to belie your apparent youth. I am an old lady and quite in awe of your production. I regret I won't be here long enough to see the amazing things you will accomplish in the future. You have a great life ahead.

[realcarbon]

This is awesome, I had to watch this for my Art 111 class in college. Great job man.

[bobbynoers]

I'm from indonesia...i dont really understand wht re you talking about ...but the other side...i just focus and exactly intrested on your quality...the real quality of content...Good luck...hope you reach more subscriber