Ansel Adams and new technology
02.15.2008
The recent passing of Polaroid’s instant film made me think of these two quotes by Ansel Adams.
“For me the future of the image is going to be in electronic form … You will see perfectly beautiful images on an electronic screen. And I’d say that would be very handsome. They would be almost as close as the best reproductions.” -Interview with Paul Hill (1975)
“I eagerly await new concepts and processes. I believe that the electronic image will be the next major advance. Such systems will have their own inherent and inescapable structural characteristics, and the artist and functional practitioner will again strive to comprehend and control them.” -The Negative (1981)
Adams was an innovator, an envelope pusher. He was always on the forefront of technology (sometimes leading the charge) and loved pushing the limits. As technology in photography continues to move forward lets embrace it and figure out how to use it to our best advantage.
02.15.2008 at 11:05 am
i love these quotes! thanks for posting
02.15.2008 at 11:10 am
Ansel Adams is my kind of guy! As long as we learn to RESPECT each new advancement in technology, the work will only get better.
“I have often thought that if photography were difficult in the true sense of the term — meaning that the creation of a simple photograph would entail as much time and effort as the production of a good watercolor or etching — there would be a vast improvement in total output. The sheer ease with which we can produce a superficial image often leads to creative disaster. We must remember that a photograph can hold just as much as we put into it, and no one has ever approached the full possibilities of the medium.”
Ansel Adams
Thanks Ed
02.15.2008 at 11:47 am
I agree with Bryan,
“We all must learn to RESPECT each new advancement made in technology.”
This holds especially true with all the new technology in the area of photography! I think one might be amazed at the creative tools one could have by embracing these changes.
Thanks Ed….good comments!
02.18.2008 at 2:42 pm
Hear hear! So refreshing: the lack of lament and the love of discovery.