by Michael Frye | Feb 20, 2011 | Announcements
Ansel Adams was born on February 20th, 1902—109 years ago today. For his 100th birthday, in 2002,
Outdoor Photographer magazine asked me to interview four photographers who had been influenced by him—
William Neill,
John Sexton,
Galen Rowell, and
Chris Rainier—as well as write about his influence on my own work. It was an interesting assignment, and I certainly felt honored to be included in the company of these outstanding photographers.
Bill Neill is an old friend, and I’d met John, Galen, and Chris before, but the assignment was a great excuse to ask them questions. All the interviews were conducted over the phone except Galen’s, which I did in person at his office in Bishop. Without exception they were gracious, open, and generous with their time. In short, it was a lot of fun—although editing the interviews down to 500 word segments later was a lot of work!
Sadly, Galen died in a plane crash soon afterward, in August 2002, so that interview was the last time I saw him. And I never got to meet Ansel: I began working at The Ansel Adams Gallery in 1985, shortly after Ansel passed away in the spring of 1984. But I almost feel as if I knew him because I’ve heard so many stories and read so much of his writing.
I think the article highlights the tremendous impact Ansel had on the way all of us photograph today. Here’s a link to a PDF version of the article, titled Ansel Adams at 100. Hope you enjoy it—and Happy Birthday Ansel!
Did you ever meet Ansel Adams? Has your photography been influenced by him? I’d love to hear about your thoughts and experiences in the comments.
by Michael Frye | Feb 7, 2011 | Announcements
Ross’ geese landing, Merced National Wildlife Refuge
As most of you probably know, last week I posted this image of Ross’ geese from Merced National Wildlife Refuge, and held a little contest to see who could guess the number of geese—in the air—in the photograph. The response was great; 83 people submitted estimates. The guesses covered a wide range, from 300 to 4000. Thanks to all of you who joined in—this has been a lot of fun!
So here’s the actual number of geese, in the air, that I counted: (drumroll please) 1585. The closest guess was 1600, made by Jack Kirchert. Congratulations Jack! Honorable mentions go to Jim Davies, 1560; James Williams, 1545; and Pam, 1543. All these people came within 42 of the actual number. The next closest estimate was 1505, 80 geese away from my count.
Since four people came so close, I’m going to award four prizes: all the people I just mentioned will get their choice of either my Digital Landscape Photography book or one of my three Yosemite posters. In addition, the Grand Prize winner, Jack Kirchert, will receive an 8×10 matted print of this photograph with a congratulatory message and my signature.
Most of the guesses turned out to be too low. The actual count surprised me as well. When I first looked at the image, I thought there might be 600 to 800 birds in the air. But when I started actually counting them (I know, too much time on my hands…) it quickly became apparent that there were a lot more geese than I thought. As I mentioned earlier, this was part of a large flock that arrived to join the birds already on the ground. This photograph shows only a portion of this group of new arrivals, certainly less than half, so this new group might have had 4000 to 5000 birds, joining perhaps another 5000 or more on the ground. An amazing number, and a wonderful sight. (Here’s a larger view of this photograph.)
So thanks again to all who participated, and congratulations to the winners!
by Michael Frye | Feb 1, 2011 | Announcements
Ross’ geese landing, Merced National Wildlife Refuge
Claudia and I had such a great time visiting Merced National Wildlife Refuge last Monday we went back two more times last week. On Wednesday we found a large flock of geese—mostly Ross’ geese—feeding in a field near the tour road. Small groups flew in, joining the group, then a huge flock arrived from the north. This photograph shows only part of this new group landing.
When watching flocks of snow or Ross’ geese like this, it’s always hard to estimate the numbers. You know you’re looking at a lot of birds, but how many? So out of curiosity I counted the number of geese in the air in this photograph. Yes, really, I counted them. I took the image into Photoshop, zoomed in, and marked little dots on each bird to make sure I didn’t miss any or count them twice.
So I thought it might be fun to see if you, my readers, could guess how many birds are in the air in this photograph. And just to add a little incentive, the person who’s estimate comes closest to my count will win a free copy of my book Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters. Or, if you already have a copy, you can choose one of my three posters (you can view them here).
To make your guess and enter the contest, go to my blog home, where you can read the rules, see a larger image, and post your guess in the comments.
by Michael Frye | Jan 12, 2011 | Announcements
5. Gray pines after a snowstorm
Jim Goldstein posted his Best Photos of 2010 Blog Project today, with the top images of 2010 from 162 photographers, including me of course. It’s worth spending some time looking through these photographs, as there’s a lot of great work.
For me, picking out my best photos from last year was a difficult, fascinating, but ultimately rewarding process.
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by Michael Frye | Jan 7, 2011 | Announcements
The polls are closed, the votes are in, and here are the winners—as chosen by you, the readers.
The response went far beyond my expectations. Over 100 people chimed in with their picks, and Claudia had to create a spreadsheet to keep track of them all! My heartfelt thanks to all of you who voiced your opinions. I really appreciate your taking the time to help me make these difficult choices. (Click here to see all 46 original nominees.)
Although I reserved the right to override theses votes, in the end I decided that the collective wisdom was greater than mine, especially with so many people chiming in. Here’s a list of the ten images which received the most picks, and the number of votes they each received:
- Image #3, Winter sunrise from Tunnel View, 69 votes
- Image #11, Redbud reflection II, 64 votes
- Image #13, Horsetail Fall by moonlight, 64 votes
- Image #9, Painted Hills in the Temblor Range (vertical), 45 votes
- Image #18, Middle Gaylor Lake at sunset, 45 votes
- Image #32, First light on Three Brothers (second version), 45 votes
- Image #5, Gray pines after a snowstorm, 44 votes
- Image #19, Sunrise, North Peak and Greenstone Lake, 42 votes
- Image #40, Swirling mist, El Capitan Meadow, 39 votes
- Image #42, Ice sculptures and Wildcat Fall, 39 votes
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by Michael Frye | Jan 6, 2011 | Announcements
I’ll be posting my ten best photographs from 2010 tomorrow, but there’s still time to make your voice heard and help me make the selection. View the top 46 here, then just add a comment and list your favorites.
Many thanks to everyone who’s already chimed in. The response has been tremendous, and almost 100 people have voted. I really appreciate all of you taking the time to do this—you’re the best! And special thanks to those who went to the trouble of giving detailed explanations about their choices—that’s very helpful.
