An Ode To Ansel Adams: Raban Lake In Monochrome

from Wikimedia

Ansel Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) had always been an influence on me. Since learning and reading about him from my college days, I had always held him in high regards. I admire him for his enthusiasm on nature, especially his portraitures of the Yosemite Park. Being a photographer in the 1920's, you have to admire his courage to undertake the mission. Without the digital technology that we have today, he had to rely on his wits and luck to return with pictures that he can only imagine before being processed in the darkroom. Nevertheless, he had conquered those weaknesses by creating the famous "Zone System" for determining correct exposures in a single frame, which I believe now a similar process when we use the RAW format for processing.

 I had always loved nature photography. After years of spending time to this, you are able to understand Ansel's feeling and satisfaction of the craft.

McDonald Lake, Glacier National Park (1942)

It is not an easy job if you choose to photograph the wilderness. The sweat, stamina and danger that might be around the corner. But also to enjoy the beauty of isolated landscapes, the smell of fresh wildflowers and the colors of the wilderness. And in the end, there is always something to write or to tell of those experiences.

The images below are of Raban Lake, from a small rural town in Perak Malaysia. I had processed them into black & white, hoping to emulate Ansel Adam's work, thus somewhat paying a tribute to him. It was the spirit of adventure, discovery and determination that he had that is truly an inspiration to us.

Raban Lake In The Morning

An Evening Boat Ride