Customer Reviews

Ansel Adams in Color

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The title says it all: "Ansel Adams in Color." Who knew that America's premier black and white photographer performed his film magic in color too? I certainly didn't.

"Ansel Adams in Color" is filled with Adams' gorgeous, technicolor, photographs along with accompanying essays. While Adams was ambivalent about working in color -- primarily due to the technical limitations at the time -- today's digital advancements allow the photos to shine. These majestic photos were taken primarily in the 40's- 50's and capture America's natural landscape at its zenith. The photographs include breathtaking shots of the Grand Canyon; Yosemite National Park; Death Valley; Hawaii; Alaska, Wyoming; and much more!

"Ansel Adams in Color" would be a welcome edition to the collection of any photographer or Adams' admirer.



Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; Rev'd edition(Oct. 21, 2009), 168 pages.
Review Copy Provided Courtesy of Hachette Book Group.

This has become my "I need a break" book. You know when you have read all the intense books, seen all the intense news, and you just need to get away? I can look at the photos (I love photography) and drift and/or read the commentary and imagine.

I think I love color photography the best because of hues and intensity and, maybe the reality of vision.

For anyone that enjoys photography as a pasttime, this book was a wonderful source of inspiration. For those that enjoy simply looking at the work of great photographers, one doesn't need to be a professional to be able to appreciate the works contained in this product. It was very interesting to see Adams' works in color - and to see his genius in a whole different light (literally).

"Throughout his life Ansel remained ambivalent about color photography - a sampling of his reflections on the subject is included at the end of this book. Much of his antipathy toward color stemmed from the extremely poor quality of color photographing. Another source of his frustration was the inability to adequately translate the brilliance of a color transparency into a fine print."
-Foreward by John P. Schaefer and Andrea G. Stillman

I had always loved Ansel Adams' black and white photographs of nature. His photos of Yosemite had added to the pleasure of my trip to the National Park years ago. I hadn't known that Ansel Adams had worked in color, much less, that he had over 3,000 color transparencies. He had worked with color photography when the medium and technology was in its early stages. His frustration with the technical limitations explain why he is best known for his black and white work. However, with the developments in photography and computers, it is now possible to see his work as he would have been prepared to show it.

The photos in this book were selected by a photographer of Adams' generation and fellow member of the Detroit Camera Club who has expressed the debt he owed Adams for the direction and advice. Callahan is also highly regarded and has been described as one of America's greatest visual poets. He chose the photos based on his own aesthetic pleasure - "selecting those things that pleased me" without adjustments for historical reasons or concern for what the image might have looked like once.

The essays and text that accompany the stunning photographs give a fuller understanding of Ansel Adams' work and the development of the art of photography. This book is such a pleasure - whether you read it carefully or glance at the photographs.

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; Revised edition edition (October 21, 2009), 168 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

The photography of Ansel Adams, photographer and environmentalist, has been enjoyed for years in black and white. His photographs of the American West, and Yosemite National Park are classics that will forever remain in the photographic archives of natural wonders. His creative genius is timeless and now can be enjoyed in stunning color images.

This book of color photographs is a marvelous and magic production. I found myself amazed at the beauty he captured. This is definitely a book that should be placed with joy on the coffee tables of America and the world. It is an absolute delight!

I had very little knowledge of Ansel Adams other than having seen many of his images in books, prints, etc. The book describes in pictures and text how deeply emotionally and intellectually invested Ansel was in the photography process. He saw photography as a true art, and he felt a responsiblity to be true to the viewers of his images in terms of communicating exactly what he saw and FELT when he was capturing the image. His passion for black and white was remarkable. He did not believer that color could be reproduced and delivered to consumers, whether they be serious artists or casual observers, in a way that was up to his standards for quality. He did, however, anticipate that the future of photography would change that concern, and he knew that technology was moving away from film. It is a little sad that he didn't live to see the digital technologies of today - he would probably be a major digital expert. Nice job by the author putting this together. Ansel lives on the pages.

Was nice to see his pictures in color,
many were from the 40's and 50's, not all from California.
Refreshing pictures of a by-gone-era.

This latest issue of his colour photographs finally allows us to see them in the way Ansel Adams intended. My only gripe is I wish it was larger format.

Thank you to Hachette Book Group for my copy of this wonderful book. Everyone's heard of Ansel Adams, America's foremost landscape photographer. In fact, whenever I spot a black and white landscape, I think of him. However, this eye-opening collection of spectacularly detailed color photographs expands my admiration of his work.

This volume is more than a collection of magnificent color photographs; in addition, it contains a comprehensive essay, "Quest for Color" by James L. Enyeart, photographic historian. The heavy volume concludes with "Selected Writings on Color Photography by Ansel Adams. This book would be a treasure for anyone interested in photography, art, and/or America. What a remarkable gift it would make!

The perfect book! I could not put it down. It gives you a look at Ansel Adams and his adventures and personal thoughts on photography.

I would sincerely recommend this book.