eugene@ames.UUCP (Eugene Miya) (10/10/85)
I am currently reading the autobiography of Ansel Adams.
It is quite a work. It is the type of book which attracts the
eye for the esthetics and the brain for the reading. You can
practically start reading anywhere and get involved. I had
a hard time just starting from the beginning because there were
some many interesting comments associated with pictres well known
by the general public.
Chapters involve his youth, family (wife and children),
involvment in f.64 (photography movements), Sierra Club,
teaching [my favorite picture: word bestowed by Ansel [Moses]: "And God
said `Let there be Zones!'"), politics and President, so forth.
Several chapters relate his experiences with people like Strand,
O'Keefe, Stigliez (sorry sp), Wright, and so forth.
When Ansel was living, he was quite a man. He always had a good
word and kept some humor. He was capable of seeing objects for their
value (and non-value) from all sides [has quite a few interesting
stories about computers: the best involving analysis of the geometry
of the Moon in his picture about Hernandez, NH, his most popular
image.]. (Ansel was also involved in computer image processing
{enhancement} prior to his death but I have not seen this mentioned
in the text.
The text does not contain any of Ansel's lesser known works: his
35-mm work, his SX-70, it does have a few Hassleblad (sic) works,
nor any of his color stuff. Ansel does relate his encounters with a person
surprised to learn he worked with cameras other than bulky 8x10s.
Photography, conservation, and mountaineering will never be the same
without Ansel.
--eugene miya
NASA Ames Research Center
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