ANSEL ADAMS PHOTOS AT THE DE YOUNG MUSEUM, San Francisco, CA

Photo by Ansel Adams, Marin Hills from Lincoln Park, 1952

It is hard to picture the American West without thinking of Ansel Adams and his iconic black and white photos—of New Mexico, Yosemite, the San Francisco Bay area, and other places in the western US. A spectacular exhibit of 100 of Ansel Adam’s photos is currently on display at the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California, along with the work of other photographers and artists who have been inspired by the same landscapes but interpreted them in their own way. 

At the de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA

The exhibit, called Ansel Adams In Our Time, reveals his continued relevance   “Adams’s legacy continues to inspire and provoke, influencing how we envision the landscape and serving as an urgent call to preserve our environment.”

We visited the museum with our granddaughter on a recent Sunday afternoon, reserving our timed entry tickets ahead of time. The rooms were crowded but people patiently waited their turn to get close to the photos. Only at close view can one appreciate the richness of the tones and sharpness of the images—from the range of grays in billowing clouds to the tiny cross on the top of the church in New Mexico.

The Golden Gate Before the Bridge, 1932. Photograph, gelatin silver print. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Ansel Adams’ (1902-1984) grew up in San Francisco. His family home was not far from the cliffs above Seal Rocks. One of my favorite photos in the exhibit is the one he made one clear morning as storm clouds rolled in toward the Golden Gate. This was in 1932, shortly before the Golden Gate Bridge began construction. (The bridge was completed in 1937.)  He later recalled: “One beautiful storm-chasing morning I looked out the window of our San Francisco home and saw magnificent clouds rolling from the north over the Golden Gate. I grabbed the 8-by-10 equipment and drove to the end of 32^nd Avenue, at the edge of Sea Cliff. I dashed along the old Cliff House railroad bed for a short distance, then down to the crest of the promontory. From there a grand view of the Golden Gate commanded me to set up the heavy tripod, attach the camera and lens, and focus on the wonderful evolving landscape of clouds.”

The photo memorializes the vastness of the landscape as it was before its intrusion by human-made objects.

The Golden Gate from Telegraph Hill, photo by Carleton E. Watkins, 1868

The exhibit also includes historical photos, including one by Carleton E. Watkins, The Golden Gate  from Telegraph Hill, 1868. In contrast to Adams’ photo, the city dominates in this view of the Golden Gate entrance to San Francisco Bay while the natural landscape fades into the mist.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument Arizona, printed 1967.

Photos like Canyon de Chelly bring the grandeur of nature to the American public,

Ferns near Kiluea Crater National Park, Hawaii, ca 1948.

while  pictures like these ferns, seen close-up, celebrate the patterns and intricacies of the natural world.

Winter Sunrise, View from Lone Pine.

Most of the photos in the exhibit are relatively small prints requiring close inspection. But in Winter Sunrise, View from Lone Pine, California, printed large and framed in glass, the reflection of the museum gallery on the dark lower slopes creates a collage uniting viewers with the art. It is why people go to museums—to enjoy a personal relationship with the art. At the top of the photo, the snowcapped peaks of the Sierras rise to the skies above the dark hills below ,and at the bottom, frost rimed trees sparkle in the morning light. If you stand to the side to eliminate the reflection, you can see the photo as Ansel Adams intended. It is a brilliant picture.

This is only a small sample of the Ansel Adams photos in the exhibit. The accompanying art work by other artists is also worth a look. The tent camera photos by Abelardo Morell, in which the ground becomes integrated with the view, are unique. I wondered how the images were merged with the photo until I read the description of the method. (See below.)

Tent-Camera photos by Abelardo Morell.

A digital camera captures the reflection of the landscape on the ground in a tent made into a pin-hole camera.

But it is the Ansel Adams photos that are the star of the show. The exhibit will be up at the De Young Museum until August 6, 2023. If you don’t get to see it in person, you can buy the book in the museum shop (which we did) and enjoy it again and again at home.

YOSEMITE VALLEY IN WINTER: Surprisingly Warm and Uncrowded

Upper Yosemite Falls, Yosemite National Park

Earlier this past year I signed up for a conference in Yosemite for the first weekend in February, expecting to see the mountains covered in white and to hike or snowshoe along icy trails. Instead, an unusually warm and dry winter in California made the weather seem more like spring and the only patches of snow were on high north facing slopes. It turned out to be a perfect time to visit the park.

On the valley floor

This was my second trip to Yosemite National Park in the past year. In contrast to last summer, when the valley was flooded with snow-melt filled rivers and waterfalls were thundering down the rock walls, the atmosphere on my recent trip was much more peaceful. While there was still plenty of water coming over the waterfalls, the river had returned to its banks, and there were far fewer visitors. The scenery was spectacular as always.

Tunnel View of El Capitan with Half Dome in the distance

My conference was held at Tenaya Lodge, just outside the park’s Wawona entrance. My friend Gretchen and I came a day early so we could enjoy the beauty of the park before the meetings began. The next morning we drove to the park entrance where we picked up a map and chatted with the ranger. We then continued on Highway 41 through the park (about an hour’s drive) to Yosemite Valley, getting our first impressive view of the valley as we exited the tunnel. The morning light was just making its way over the rim of the canyon walls, framing a distant view of Half Dome. The air was crisp and clear and the view was breathtaking.

Valley View at Cathedral Beach

We proceeded down to the bottom of the valley, making our way to the one-way road that circles the valley, stopping for views of Yosemite Falls and taking a short hike to view Bridal Veil Falls up close.
After parking our car at Yosemite Village, we toured the Visitor Center, which is filled with excellent displays explaining the geological history of the park as well as its natural and human history. (Compared to last summer, we had no trouble finding places to park and there were relatively few people.)

Sculpture of John Muir inside the Visitor Center

We ate our picnic lunch at a table outside the café near the Visitor Center, enjoying the sunshine and warm temperatures. We then visited the Ansel Adams Gallery, filled with prints by the photographer who helped make Yosemite famous. The gallery also had an excellent selection of books as well as a variety of beautiful hand-made art objects.

Beginning of trail to Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall and John Muir Trail

We wanted to do a moderate hike and decided to follow the trail to the Vernal Fall bridge. It was more uphill than we had expected, but after multiple stops to catch our breath we finally made it to the bridge. Other hikers told us that the trail up to the falls was even steeper than the one we had come on! 

View toward Vernal Fall from the bridge over the Merced River

We could see the falls up the creek in the distance and decided that was enough of a view. The hike back to the trailhead, almost all downhill, was much easier! There we caught one of the shuttle buses that circle the park, which took us back to Half Dome Village parking lot where we had left our car. It was time to return to our hotel and get ready for our conference. It had been a lovely, warm winter day.

Post Office in Yosemite Village

MORE POSTS ABOUT YOSEMITE
See my posts about previous visits to Yosemite in October 2016 and June 2017.