Gray with Envy

I recently traveled a short distance to the local art gallery in Newport News, Virginia to gaze upon the lastest exhibit of photographs at the Peninsula Fine Arts Center. I am always tickled when an exhibit features photographers and this was extra special since it was the works of Ansel Adams. As of recently, I have been fancying a different allocation to my photography and centering my field of focus on landscapes than my traditional portraiture studies. I know that I like to be appreciative of the beauty of nature, yet I find that the conflict arises when I feel the shot is too simple and not so avant-garde. Preceding my visit to the gallery, I found myself pondering on what makes a photograph gallery worthy and why some works are shown and others collect dust in a photo album.

When I laid my eyes on the first piece in the exhibit, I was truly in awe of the whole sense of it all. The photograph was titled “Clearing Winter Storm” and it was as sharp in detail as any digitally enhanced image could have been, yet here was a picture captured in 1942 before such technological advancements. It was probably very cold and a miserable hike in order to get to that vantage point. The conditions were surely optimal however to see the cloud coverage on the mountains, yet the field of sky closer to the camera was clear enough to allow the crisp sharp imagery of the foreground. I was trying to imagine myself without a cell phone, without a digital playback review, without small, accessible compact flash cards to negate the use of film. Would I have been so dedicated and focused to even try for that shot?

The gallery was small and intimate and you cannot avoid hearing passing conversations and other people’s opinions on his work. I overheard a couple discussing their point of view as seeing the photographs as “simple” and “not very special”. Yet when I looked at each photograph, I appreciated their sense of meticulous processing and intuitive timing. There was something very detailed in the tones, contrast and cropping. Some pieces were stark and sharp while others were variations on grays and slight tonal adjustments. The true genious was the timing and how the photographer seemed to grasp the destiny of his own chance encounter with a sunbeam or a moonrise.

I am sure that most artwork that is produced are not highly unique nor is it hard to replicate. I guess this exhibit answered my earlier question. Art is about dedication and expressiveness. How many times do you see a sunset and then quickly go for your camera or paintbrush? Did you intend to capture that memory to share with the world? How often do you travel to your local scenic spots to appreciate nature? How many times have you taken the time to write your loved one a romantic poem? Surely there are things that others do that many who are lost in their own complacency, scoff at and play down because they aren’t willing to put themselves out there. I would rather be like Adams and dedicate myself year after year to rediscover my appreciation of life and nature. How many times have we captured a beautiful tree in a photograph to never visit it again in our lifetime? Ansel Adams returned to Yosemite National Park year after year to dance within its scenic lands. That is true dedication and I will be truly “gray” with envy until I too, can tirelessly capture everything that inspire me as an artist, human, and lover.