Idle Nutt

photo credit:  Trey Ratcliff

Trey Ratcliff:

Here is another photo from our recent Yosemite PhotoWalk last week. The valley floor is full of dense forests that can go on for an eternity.

(via Stuck in Customs)

Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico by Ansel Adams

This is hands down my favorite photograph by Ansel Adams.  I have a poster of it and would love to see an original print one day.

There are so many things I like about this photo: the way the moon is above the clouds against the dark sky, the texture of the clouds themselves, the mountains in the background, and most of all, the way the sunlight hits the gravestones.  When I think about all the different elements of this photo and the skill necessary to expose correctly for each one, I’m blown away.  I’m sure Adams did some work in the darkroom as well to get such a beautiful print, but without an awesome negative to start with, I don’t think any amount of finagling in the darkroom would’ve resulted in the impressive quality of the final image.

There’s a whole story behind this photo.  What struck me was the sheer technical skill Adams had - all that data in his head, the calculations on the spot, the planning and patience required to capture the right moment - all that without the benefit of digital cameras and Photoshop.  He had to nail the exposure and composition on-site.  Pretty friggin’ amazing if you ask me.