Ansel Adams was really an impressive man. His manic work ethic and dedication to his craft are evidence of him being one the most influential landscape photographers of the 20th Century. He is described as having one of the greatest tonal ranges of any artist. This range is shown through the vast moods of light shown throughout his work.
I really liked what one of the gentleman in the documentary said about his images and how there were no holes or mistakes in them. Adams had such an attention to detail and an exuberance for the perfect light that he composed his images in a very particular way. Basically what the man said is that Adam’s photos were so well composed that the it was impossible for the viewer to lose the impression that they are actually there.
As a musician I enjoyed learning how deeply influenced Adam’s was by music. I heard some amazing phrases such “Chords of Tone,” and “tonally complete” used to describe Adams compositional style. In the world of music, a chord is multiple notes, generally within the same key signature, that sound good when played together. The same can be said for tones of light, certain shades and tones go together and complement each other almost as if in harmony.
Georges Argoud 