The Ansel Adams Photography Series 1 - The Camera

I wanted to read more about Ansel Adams techniques; I love his images and want to know what it is that makes them so stunning.  In many of his images, he has used composition that traditionally might not work, so what was it that sets them apart?  Although the book deals with camera equipment that is now not really used, the strategy used for producing huge dramatic landscapes should still be the same.

One thing I found out is that he tilts the camera so as to change the perspective; he describes a system of mounting the camera on his car to gain height and then tilts the camera down to increase the perspective of the looking up point of view.  This exagerates height in the final image.  He also talks about using a cut out card to try to find the right composition for the photo; this can now be achieved by taking multiple photographs and cropping, although I can see that using a cut out would still be beneficial in chosing what to include and what to exclude.  He also waited at the scene, watching clouds until a gust of wind blew them into the right place.  The use of converging lines is also important; this adds drama to a scene.

Finally, the light is critical.  In Aspens, New Mexico, Adams used spot metering to highlight the centre tree.  Normally, central composition wouldn't be considered appropriate, however, in this case, with the spot metering and the converging lines towards the front, it works!

The image can be found on the Metropolitan Museum of Art wesbite http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections/190014318