Ansel Adams | Alan Ross Photography

Photographic Visualization – How To Visualize A Photograph Before You Shoot

Aug 31, 2017Alan2 CommentsAnsel Adams, VisualizationAnsel Adams, how to visualize a photograph, visualization

Photographic Visualization In April 1927, during one of his regular trips to Yosemite, a 25-year-old Ansel Adams trekked up to the ‘diving board’ on the west shoulder of Half Dome. There, he made a dramatic image of the monolith using a mild yellow filter to darken the sky a bit—a generally recommended and accepted practice in those…

How To See Like A Photographer

Jun 27, 2017Alan3 CommentsAnsel Adams, Photo Expeditions, Photo Philosophy, Tech, WorkshopsAnsel Adams, photo expeditions, photo philosophy, tech, workshops

One of the things I enjoy most about being a photographer is the opportunity to share the knowledge and experience I’ve gained during my 40+-year career looking through the lens. I consider teaching both a privilege and a responsibility, and I do a lot of it. Something I get asked to address in nearly all…

Ansel Adams’ Zone System – Darling Or Dinosaur?

May 19, 2016Alan6 CommentsAnsel Adams, Darkroom, Zone System and MeteringAnsel Adams, Darkroom, Zone System

As someone who worked side-by-side with Ansel Adams for a number of years, I get asked about Ansel Adams’ Zone System…A LOT! “How do I?” “Why does it?” “Can I?” I’ve written about the Zone System before, but a recent flurry of questions and requests for clarification have made me think it’s time…

Can The Zone System Go Digital?

Jan 6, 2015Alan2 CommentsAnsel Adams, Tech, Zone System and MeteringAnsel Adams, The Zone System, ZS

Can the Zone System Go Digital? IN A WORD…YES! The Zone System (ZS) can be an integral and important part of any digital photographer’s workflow because it allows you to plan and predict an image’s tonal values rather than letting the camera make the decision. The computerized metering systems in modern cameras are really amazing,…

Ansel Adams’ Darkroom – A Tour

Feb 11, 2014Alan1 CommentAnsel Adams, DarkroomAnsel Adams, Darkroom

Lot’s of folks have asked me what it was like to work for the master himself and what Ansel Adams’ darkroom was like. So, here’s a tour! When Ansel hired me in July of 1974 to be his assistant in Carmel, he actually hired me to be his #2 assistant. Ted Orland had already been…

Ansel Adams’ Yosemite Special Edition Photographs

Jun 4, 2012Alan1 CommentAnsel AdamsAlan Ross, Ansel Adams, Ansel Adams Gallery, darkroom printing, silver-gelatin prints, Yosemite Special Edition Prints

Affordable Authentic Ansel Adams Prints One of Ansel Adams’ personal commitments was to share his energy and abilities in support of the things he believed in, most notably, photography and the environment. In the cause of both, Ansel and his wife, Virginia, selected six photographs of Yosemite and offered them for sale through her family…

Can the Zone System Go Digital?

Feb 21, 2012Alan1 CommentTech, Zone System and MeteringAlan Ross, Ansel Adams, Black and White Photography, Digital Photography, Fred Archer, Photography, The Zone System, Zone System

In a word: YES! The Zone System (ZS) can be an integral and important part of any digital photographer’s workflow because it allows you to plan and predict an image’s tonal values rather than letting the camera make the decision. The computerized metering systems in modern cameras are really amazing, and a lot of the…

Ansel Adams, Leica, and Yosemite in April 2012

Feb 9, 2012AlanAnsel Adams, NewsAlan Ross, Ansel Adams, Leica, Leica S2, Photography, Photography Blog, Yosemite

News Flash: Experience the Leica S2 in Yosemite! Students attending my April Ansel Adams Gallery workshop, “Ansel Adams’ Yosemite: The Art of Seeing,” will have a rare opportunity to photograph with the Leica S2, a premier medium-format digital camera that retails for approximately $28,000 and was developed exclusively for digital photography. It’s based on a…

Special Print Offering

Jan 25, 2012AlanAnnouncementAlan Ross, Alaska, Ansel Adams, Badwater, Black White Photography, Death Valley, Glacier Bay, Photography, Photography Blog

While I’m not much into New Year’s resolutions, I’m giving myself a goal to get into the darkroom more this year, and I’ve been doing some digging around in my files of as-yet unprinted images. And there are quite a few! The digital age has allowed me to experiment with images of interest and I’m…

Using a Cut-Out Card to Refine Photo Composition

Jan 22, 2012Alan2 CommentsPhoto PhilosophyAlan Ross, Ansel Adams, Photo Composition, Photograph, Photography, Viewing Card

One of the most challenging things in creating a strong image in photography is the need to find order in chaos. In the urban jungle there are wires, poles, signs, traffic and the like. In the natural world there are rocks, bushes, branches and landforms all contributing to visual mayhem. In an earlier writing I…