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Snowy Woods for Ansel

Ansel Adams helped develop and test various film types for Edwin Land of Polaroid, but the most famous of all is Type 55 which gives the photographer a re-usable super-high resolution negative. At ISO 25, the grain is very fine.

 

The photos above are Polaroid Type 55 4x5" negatives scanned in on Epson scanner. They were shot with a Graflex Pacemaker Speed Graphic on Saturday February 3rd, 2007, the morning after our 2nd snow "storm" of winter season.

 

I recently bought Ansel Adams' Polaroid Land Photography, an essential book documenting all of his research and testing in Polaroid films and printing (many people don't realize that much of his photography involved Polaroid processes). It's been a great inspiration for me. In this book, the artist Ansel Adams is balanced with the technical Ansel Adams. In essence, he breaks down his photos into their componant parts, explains various methodologies, principles, systems and processes he used to make them, and explains in deep detail those processes that will help enable the photographer to get the results he or she wants. I highly recommend the book if anybody is interested in Polaroid photogrpahy.

 

Many of the photos in Polaroid Land Photography are taken in the greater Boston area. As I walk along trails, streams and ponds here west of Boston and Cambridge, I can't help but think maybe Ansel himself visited these snow woods as well.

COMMENTS
JenM said at 8:04 p.m. on Feb 4, 2007:
Stunning collection! As always, you prove yourself to be one of my favorite photographers!
Jasontengco said at 8:37 p.m. on Feb 4, 2007:
beautiful! the first picture is just awesome.
Leftofcenter said at 8:41 p.m. on Feb 4, 2007:
snow woods in black & white, beautiful.
JoanW said at 8:46 p.m. on Feb 4, 2007:
Great collection. I just love the soft colours of these black and white photos. There is something about the lighting of them that looks so good. I don't knowo anything about Polaroid film, but these are just lovely. TFS.
Pkeener said at 8:47 p.m. on Feb 4, 2007:
Oh, JEFF, Thank you for this. I studied the Zone System when i first took up photography and i still have the book series on the system.. I love how you made the layout look like negatives of the plates. This is a wonderful Tabblo. Ansel would be proud...especially of that last shot.
Lisawang said at 10:31 p.m. on Feb 4, 2007:
Neat! I didn't know Ansel Adams worked with Polaroids, so it's cool to see your winter images using the same technique!
HunterProductions said at 3:57 a.m. on Feb 5, 2007:
Nice job Jeff, I used to shoot nothing but 25 or 64 asa film I love the low grain and the blow-ups are spectacular on film at that speed. Ansel Adams was a great photographer. and he shot mostly 8x10 negatives, its a shame he did not get much recognition until he died but thats always how the art world seems to work.
Engelgrafik said at 8:08 a.m. on Feb 5, 2007:
Hunter, it's true that he shot a lot of 8x10... the Yosemite photographs trump just about everything else he did, but he actually did a surprisingly large amount of 4x5 large format as well, again, a large amount of it Polaroid. Polaroid tends to only mean one thing to most people: instant photos that develop before your eyes. But there is an entire professional series of film. Back in Ansel's day, there was 40 series which was actually in rolls (I have some... very rare stuff!). Then there was developed the 50 series 4x5 peel apart sheet film, along with its consumer line, 100 series (now called 660 series... not 600 which is consumer). All these films have professionals in mind and it's really fun stuff to work with. Get a Polaroid back for your camera and some 55 or 665 and you'll see how amazing this stuff really is.
Engelgrafik said at 8:18 a.m. on Feb 5, 2007:
Pkeener, actually these are what the negatives actually look like, blown up a bit of course. They are true 4x5 inch sheet film, with the quintessential "Polaroid edges". You put the sheet negative (inside a paper and metal envelope) in a Polaroid 545 holder for any Graflok or "International" type back. After the shot, you pull envelope and negative out, count to 25 and then rip open the envelope. Then you pull back the print from the negative. The Print is rated at 50 ISO while the negative is 25 ISO, so if the negative is properly exposed, your print will appear a bit overexposed. The negative is then cleared in Sodium Sulfite solution (daylight safe) and rinsed. There are some bits of rubber and paper still attached to the edges, and when those are removed you see the "funky edges". I know this doesn't sound very interesting... but if you actually do it, it's like magic. In same ways, even more fun than the dark room.
Banafsheh said at 10:49 a.m. on Feb 5, 2007:
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! check out those shadows!Film rocks!
JackHolmes said at 12:01 p.m. on Feb 5, 2007:
great work.!!! B is right about film. jh
Awdigitalimaging said at 1:28 p.m. on Feb 5, 2007:
great shots, makes me want to run out and get a 4x5!!! and hope for more snow
There is just nothing like using type 55 polaroid. it's awesome - Andrew
Jillcdunn said at 1:37 p.m. on Feb 5, 2007:
These are so beautiful!
DEE-Trow said at 3:20 p.m. on Feb 5, 2007:
Beautifully done!
Saulblum said at 3:24 p.m. on Feb 5, 2007:
I love that last shot. Great work!
Scotterb said at 4:51 p.m. on Feb 5, 2007:
Hey Jeff. I wish I had the balls to go outside and do this with you. I'm kind of a big wuss, but maybe someday.

I love type 55. I used that pretty much all through photo school. It's the best! I'm thinking of doing a whole new portfolio using the holga and type 55. Maybe you could help me. I'll have to pick your brain.

Keep up the wonderful work!
Memotions said at 5:39 p.m. on Feb 5, 2007:
Ansel would have been proud of such an ardent student. B/w is difficult to shoot for the novice. These photos are wonderful....composition, shadow and light! Great contrast. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and your photos.
Chempilot said at 5:43 p.m. on Feb 5, 2007:
how much detail do you lose from scanning? one of my photog friends in dallas worked for adams for a while and had some of his 8x10 negatives. some insane amount of detail...

cool shots...the first and third are really nice!
Mthorne said at 8:19 p.m. on Feb 5, 2007:
These are stunning. I love them! As always, you always include so much interesting information in you work.
Jbpix said at 10:01 p.m. on Feb 5, 2007:
Love these, Jeff. Especially #1 and #2.
Engelgrafik said at 11:06 p.m. on Feb 5, 2007:
Actually I do lose detail from scanning. Reason is that there are no holders to keep the negative 1mm above the glass so that it's in perfect focus for the scanner's "transparency" setting. That's what the film holders do... keep your negatives 1mm above the glass. Now, while Espson scanners DO have 4x5 inch holders, they don't have Polaroid-sized 4x5 inch negatives, which are actually a bit bigger. So these scans actually are "blurry" compared to what's actually there, as they are 1mm below the focusing point of the scanner. :( The alternative would be to find a 1mm thick piece of anti-newton glass (you get funky stuff when you put 2 flat clear objects together... scanner goes wacky a bit... creates what's called "newton circles"). Another alternative is to wet-mount the negatives so that the negative "floats" in a small wet area on top of the scanner glass, contained and held fast about 1mm above the glass by physics. But that's too much to deal with.
Floridamolle said at 3:52 p.m. on Feb 6, 2007:
GREAT B/W. Yes we all have a lot to learn from Ansel, that is for sure. The first one is soo great and I also love the last one. A very great job
Mashpee_Paula said at 5:08 p.m. on Feb 6, 2007:
Very beautiful pictures, Jeff! You are a great "artiste." Superbe!! :)
Nmat said at 6:11 p.m. on Feb 6, 2007:
Ansel could not have done better -- my favorite is the last with the light through the trees, the reflections in the stream, and the snow caving in toward the water. I know nothing about all the photography history and techniques you have presented, very impressive and interesting.
Experience said at 9:43 a.m. on Feb 7, 2007:
Tre scatti di estrema capacità fotografica, immagini tecnicamente perfette, luogo fantastico. Mi piace moltissimo il tuo modo di fare tabblo. Complimenti!
DVP said at 8:19 p.m. on Feb 7, 2007:
Gorgeous... I'm a big Ansel fan. It's all I can do to restrain how much I love these shots. Bravo
GeorgePL said at 11:23 p.m. on Feb 7, 2007:
These are some seriously cool photos. Thanks for the story too.
Gerardfotografeert said at 3:04 a.m. on Feb 8, 2007:
Beautiful photos great job.
Anjad said at 8:39 a.m. on Feb 9, 2007:
Great work Jeff. Beautiful collection. I love Polaroid pictures.
ChrisN said at 12:46 p.m. on Feb 10, 2007:
Impressive! I'm a big Ansel Adams fan too
Gbspictures said at 1:13 a.m. on Feb 11, 2007:
Dude. Amazing stuff.
Siagian said at 10:31 p.m. on Feb 11, 2007:
wow Wow WOW! the first shot is especially outstanding!
StacyCK said at 10:10 a.m. on Feb 15, 2007:
Again, Jeff, great photos and great homage to Mr. Adams. I am a fan of his photography as well (aren't most people, though??) and this was very informative as well. Thanks!
Nina1960 said at 8:16 a.m. on Feb 16, 2007:
Just beautiful pictures. I never hear about Ansel Adems but now I will, thank you.
Alisande21 said at 6:02 p.m. on Mar 12, 2007:
These pictures are amazing! You truely captured Adams style.
DSkok said at 5:02 p.m. on Apr 18, 2007:
I love the Ansel Adams style, as well as the detail captured by the technology. Given how all of the rest of us have moved over to digital, it is great to see some experimentation with this format. It is terrific for the really small details. I particularly like #3.
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