A while back there was a post on a popular photography forum that had been picked at like a boil. I think the conversation spanned more than seventeen pages. The post took a bunch of twists and turns, but the basic premise had to do with Ansel Adams and why he’s so special. Or perhaps to put it a better way, why is he so popular with the public at large?
I think Ansel Adams deserves a lot of the admiration he receives in the photographic community (and probably some of the derision as well). Regardless of whether you like his work or not, he was a giant when it came to promoting photography and bringing it to the forefront as a legitimate form of art. On top of that, he spent a large portion of his time teaching, writing, and sharing his vast knowledge of photography with others. There is a technical side to photography and while it may not be as important as the creative side, it’s vital, nonetheless.
I think Ansel Adams deserves a lot of the admiration he receives in the photographic community (and probably some of the derision as well). Regardless of whether you like his work or not, he was a giant when it came to promoting photography and bringing it to the forefront as a legitimate form of art. On top of that, he spent a large portion of his time teaching, writing, and sharing his vast knowledge of photography with others. There is a technical side to photography and while it may not be as important as the creative side, it’s vital, nonetheless.
I think most people would agree that Ansel Adams mastered the technical side of photography and was willing to share that knowledge with anyone who cared to listen. In my mind, that alone should be applauded, whether you’re a Zone System aficionado or not.
What’s Not to Like
But that’s beside the point. The real question is why Ansel Adams so popular with the general public? In my mind that’s simple. Ansel Adams is easy. There is nothing to dislike about his work. It’s undeniably beautiful. Only Marjorie Taylor Greene could hate a glowing picture of the pristine landscape as created by Adams. Who can’t admire the spectacle that is Yosemite or the Sierra Nevada or Denali or a hundred other places Adams has photographed? His photography is stunning, and everyone from a three year-old to my dead grandmother can see that. Why wouldn’t it be popular? After all what’s not to like?
In a way, his photography is like Miss America. Who can honestly say that Miss America is not beautiful? You can’t. Just like an Ansel Adams photograph is the standard that defines the beauty of the American landscape, Miss America practically defines female physical beauty. Like Moonrise Over Hernandez or Clearing Winter Storm, every Miss America is seemingly perfect. There’s nothing to argue with or object to.
Undeniable Beauty
That’s also the problem. There is nothing about an Ansel Adams photograph that presents any kind of challenge. Every image is undeniably beautiful, just like every Miss America in undeniably gorgeous.
To me both are ultimately boring. That’s not to say I don’t like or appreciate them for what they are. It’s just that I want more. I want to be challenged. It’s like the old saying, nothing worth doing is ever easy. Give me Angelina Jolie or Keira Knightley over Miss America any day of the. Both are beautiful although neither one could ever be Miss America. Both women have legions of worshippers, yet neither is universally popular. That’s because they’re unique and offer something beyond the standard definition of female beauty.
Offering a Challenge
Similarly, while Edward Weston is revered and appreciated in photographic circles, a contact print of a washbowl under a sink could never be an Ansel Adams print. Nor could it be as universally popular.
But unlike Adams, Weston offers a challenge. He goes way beyond the standard definition of beauty and dares you to see more. He hits you in the mouth and either you like it, or you don’t. Either way he challenges your expectations and offers a different way of seeing the world. To me that is more affirming than photographing universal beauty. It’s also what inspires the loyalty of Weston’s ardent fans, it just doesn’t inspire everyone.
But most people, for whatever reason, don’t want to be challenged. They want what’s simple. They want to see universal beauty because it’s easy to see. Show my Mom a photograph of a pepper and she’ll wonder why anybody would bother, but show her a print of Half Dome and she’ll immediately understand.
Of course, Ansel Adams is popular. It’s just too bad that nothing hard ever is.