News 8 AustinYour News NowYour News NowAn Exclusive Service of Time Warner Cable
News 8 Austin


TOP STORIES


HEADLINES


LOCAL NEWS


YOUR NEWS


WEATHER


SPORTS


HORNS STAMPEDE


LIVING


NEWS 8 EXPLORES


SPECIAL COVERAGE


COMMUNITY


COMMENTARY


ABOUT US


SEARCH


NEWS8CAST VIDEO




Buy your tickets online today.

Submit your summer camp for our free online listing.

Contact News 8 through the IVC.

TOP STORIES
TuesdayFebruary92010



x49
Ansel Adams' biographer discusses exhibit
9/25/2005 12:16 PM
By: News 8 Austin Staff

 
The late Ansel Adams lives on through his black and white photographs, and part of his legacy is being shared with Central Texas.

The Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at UT is where some of Adams' work is exhibited.

"Ansel Adams: A Legacy" can be seen on Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended Thursday hours until 7 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays the galleries are open from noon to 5 p.m. The exhibition runs through Jan. 1.

News 8 Austin’s Paul Brown got a unique perspective on this exhibition from Adam's biographer Mary Street Alinder.

Q: You were with Mr. Adams from 1979 – 1984 as his biographer and personal assistant. What was it like to work so close with him?

A: I pinched myself every day for my good luck. My most-asked question is ‘how did you get to work for him?’ It was a confluence of lucky things that happened. I knew a lot about photography. I met Ansel in 1967 at a photography workshop. We got along famously well. My background was in English and editing, and I was hired in utter desperation in 1979 to make him write his autobiography because he’d written 40 books, delivered them all on deadline, and he was a year late with his autobiography and hadn’t written one word.

 
Q: Tell us about this photograph (pictured at right.)

A: This show at the Ransom Center is such a rich treasure trove of Ansel. A lot of people think of the grand landscapes – of Yosemite and mountains. But Ansel made some beautiful people pictures. Probably his most famous picture is [this one] of Georgia O’Keefe, the great American painter who hails from Texas originally, and Orville Cox, who was their travel guide in 1937 while traveling through the southwest with a group of people. Ansel was a close friend of Ms. O’Keefe’s – may I say as close as you can get to a porcupine. She was definitely a thorny individual and she always criticized Ansel because she thought he charged not enough money. [The photo] was 35mm; that was unusual for Ansel.

Q: You described this photo (pictured at top) as one of your favorites.

 WATCH THE VIDEO
More Information
Ansel Adams exhibit

Watch the complete interview with Mary Street Alinder.



A: Ansel made it for me for my birthday, for a very special birthday. It was 1932, and Ansel lived next door to his mother and father. His mother had a great garden, and she brought him a perfect white rose. And he took the rose and set it on a piece of driftwood in front of the window, natural lighting, and took his 4x5 view camera, focused carefully, and made this exposure.

To me it’s quintessential straight photography. When you come to the exhibition you’re able to get right up close, and you can see that every part of this is in focus. There’s great depth of field, it has this incredible tonality – which means it has black blacks, white whites and every shade of grey in between.



Email this Story to a Friend
Printer Friendly Version
Search TOP STORIES

Weather Center
evening
2/9/2010
Near 40
overnight
2/10/2010
Mid 30s
morning
2/10/2010
Near 30

Voters' Guide

For Central Texas Election Information, including a list of statewide candidates and links to county voting locations, click the link.

Primary election day is March 2. The general election is Nov. 2.

Enter to win free tickets to the show.
News 8 Video Cart

Story
Play
Read
Threadgill's
Play Video
Read Story
Build News Cast Empty Cart
Full Instructions Full Instructions
Online Poll

Tuesday morning, a judge agreed to hear a divorce case between a same-sex couple. This is the second case heard in Texas. Do you agree with his decision to hear the case?
No, gay marriage is illegal in Texas
Yes, there was no other way to solve the matter
Unsure, this is a complicated legal matter
Other – your comments

VoteView Results
Neighborhood Calendar
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Jan FEBRUARY 2010 Mar
S M T W Th F S
Week Of 2/1/2010-2/6/2010 1 2 3 4 5 6
Week Of 2/7/2010-2/13/2010 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Week Of 2/14/2010-2/20/2010 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Week Of 2/21/2010-2/27/2010 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
Week Of 2/28/2010-3/6/2010 28





Baby Products





Home | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Information | Site Map | Click for RSS information
Copyright ©2010TWEAN News Channel of Austin, L.P. d.b.a. News 8 Austin

Web production by Tipit


Digital Cable offers the latest in home-viewing entertainment.
Talk as long as you want to anyone in Texas and the United States for one low monthly price.
Time Warner Cable now offers you more choices in High Speed Internet service.
Time Warner Digital Cable offers a wide variety of commercial products designed to accelerate the gr
Video On Demand lets you instantly choose from a wide selection of great movies and award- winning p
Digital Cable channel lineups.
Time Warner Cable of Austin offers 15 HDTV channels on digital cable.
TV listings for your service area.
Take a look at the special offers and promotions available now through Time Warner Cable Austin.
Record two shows at once. Plus fast-forward, rewind, and even pause LIVE TV to get a snack, answer t

On the go? Follow us on Twitter and we'll keep you current.

Sponsored Links

The premier collision shop that paints cars.