Reaction Paper #4

To compare Ansel Adam's work and David Paul Bayles' work, seems like an easy task. They both photograph nature. But it is not so simple. I felt that Adams photos where huge. Giant pictures of giant places. Rock faces, lakes with large bodies of water. Don't get me wrong, they are all break taking. The photos I saw were black and white, I can't image how beautiful they would be in color. It seemed like he had a purpose, to show you places you would not get the chance to go see for yourself. He didn't start out as a conservationist, but he ended up being one. I agree with his views on "straight" photography, being able to produce sharp, unmanipulated images. To me, that is what a landscape photo is.
Nature is emotional, all on it's own. This is why I liked Bayles photos more. I felt like his photos were more intimate. When I first viewed the lonely trees, in urban areas, like they were forgotten there. I felt sad. "Poor tree" is what I thought. But then I looked at his logging photos and he takes an interest in the crazy way the trees grow and impossible shapes they can become. It seemed like he was just there observing what nature had to offer. He didn't seem to be making any kind of political statements. He wasn't necessarily standing for a cause. To me it seemed more like he realizes that we use trees for resources and yet if we change the forests too much, they will become like a cookie cutter forest. To me, it seems like he was looking for a balance. The beautiful natural forests and trees compared to clear cutting and planned forestry. He had two photos I really liked. The first was black with a light shining on the tree tops, lighting up a telephone pole and trees together. Like he was saying, beauty can be anywhere. And the second photo I liked was of the tree stump on fire. With the whole core glowing and burning.
Both of these photographers have very beautiful work. And yet they are very different. They have a different feel. Adams has the large, open feel. And Bayles had a more personal feel to it. I liked them both.