In my datebook: Ansel Adams, Edward S. Curtis and Edward Weston: Photographers of the American West--Exhibition at Bowers Museum

It could be that most of the image in the show are on loan from the University of Arizona's Center for Creative Photography and that I've had a chance to see them at one time or another during my time there as a student--however, I still can't wait to see this show.

Since studying them in college, (particularly Adams and Weston) I have loved the idea of Adams and Weston's group f.64, called that in reference to the smallest aperture opening on their large format cameras enabling them to create images with incredible depth of field and sharpness.  (Contrasting with the wide apertures and concurrent bokah that are so in vogue today) (I especially loved photographer Willard Van Dyke's home gallery space called 683 "as our way of thumbing our nose at the New York people who didn't know us."  Brilliant.)

The influence that Adams had on photography, still today a growing and changing art, is so vast--from the Zone system to his idea of (pre)visualizing an image prior to shooting it, to an understanding of light like few others.

But my favorite has, and I think always will be, Edward Weston.  Perhaps it is seeing the growth in his work or romanticizing his life in the Daybooks (his personal journals) or the way he took ordinary to sublime.  I was so excited last year, when we took our trip to Pt. Lobos where he took his last images brought me that much closer to my favorite photographer.

Whatever you think of Adams' landscapes and Weston's Pepper No 30, their work helped shape photography as we know it.  Well worth the visit.

Now through November 29, this show with three of the most well known 20th century photographers is happening at Bowers Museum in Santa Ana.  I'm planning on it, how about you?

Succulent
Laura Schmidt

Pt. Lobos and Edward Weston

We just returned home from our spring break trip.  There were so many facets to this trip packed into such a small amount of time--a day and a half at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a visit to Mission Santa Barbara, a visit to the Madonna Inn and the bubblegum alley in San Luis Obispo, but I know my very favorite part of the trip was our visit to Pt. Lobos State Park.  It is no wonder why it is called the crown jewel of the California State park system.  But its pull for me, is it's connection to my very favorite photographer of all time, Edward Weston.  He spent many years here toward the end of his career and his family still lives in the area, running the Weston gallery.  His ashes were spread on Pebbly Beach, now called Weston beach in tribute.  I'm happy that my family enjoyed exploring the trails and tide pools in the park while I tried to soak up as much of the beauty and energy of Weston and Pt. Lobos.  I find myself disappointed with my own images of the area; perhaps it's because they are digital and not film, perhaps I was just trying too hard to emulate Weston and not see through my own eyes. However, I vow to return and try again.